AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A Richmond County woman has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for defrauding a COVID-19 small business relief program.

Kameka Bausley, 43, of Augusta, was sentenced to 32 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also ordered Bausley to pay $71,933 in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Congress provided more than $600 billion in funding to help small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Unfortunately, that level of funding also attracted scam artists. With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold accountable those who illegally profit from safety net programs.”

As described in court documents and at sentencing, Bausley, was a U.S. Postal Service employee collecting workers’ compensation benefits when she defrauded the Small Business Administration by using fabricated revenue and expense information about her catering business to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program funding, ultimately receiving deposits totaling $71,933 through the two Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Programs.

“This sentencing underlines our dedication to holding people accountable who exploit federal relief programs for personal gain,” said Jonathan Ulrich, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators and the legal teams at the U.S. Attorney’s Office will diligently pursue anyone who attempts to commit COVID-19 fraud and exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – North Augusta and Aiken had updates on Monday regarding the status of Hurricane Helene cleanup.

North Augusta City Council says the Greeneway debris will be cleaned from Cyprus Road to the Martintown Road bridge this week.

Officials say roads will continue to be a priority over the Greeneway and remind citizens to be patient.

They say only vegetative debris should be placed by the curb, and Barden C and D Landfill is also open for cleanup.

Atomic Road will be closed from south of U.S. one to I-520 starting Jan. 6 for bridge work. Officials say it could take up to 210 days to complete.

In Aiken, the city says they are working on storm debris pickup on Gem Lakes.

Later this week they will be in the Hickory Ridge area, Kalmia Hill and Highland Park neighborhoods.

They are reminding citizens the schedule may change based on progress in the areas.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – It’s been nearly 2½ months since Hurricane Helene tore through the Southeast, and debris is still a major concern for many people.

For many, this winter is going to look and feel different as damage is still being uncovered.

Augusta is still hard at work clearing away debris ahead of FEMA’s deadline.

City leaders say they are working to get Augusta back to a new normal and are even having meetings this month to prove it.

The first one is on Tuesday.

“I realize there’s a lot of anxiety happening now, as we get ready to enter the holiday season and some people still have piles in their yards or on their streets,” said Garnett Johnson, Augusta Mayor.

Johnson says so far they have picked up 1.8 million cubic yards of debris.

“We are still, I don’t want to say struggling but keep in mind, this storm was so large it affected not only Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas,” said Johnson. “There are only so many debris companies that are out there.”

The damage that we still see isn’t just on homes and piled up on roadways.

“It’s that time of year when many loved ones are concerned about the final rest and pace place of their loved ones, so we’re out doing an assessment of the city-owned cemeteries,” he said.

What Johnson is talking about is the fallen trees, broken headstones and damage all across the cemeteries.

He is looking to solve that problem while also seeing how else he can help out the city.

As the city works to get back to a new normal he says he understands that people are worried about their loved ones both in and outside of these gates.

“This storm recovery is going to go far beyond just cleaning up the debris,” said Johnson. “There’s so many different aspects from a long-term recovery perspective that we’re already starting to address. So we’re going to ask people to continue to be patient and continue to remind yourselves of where we were on Sept. 27 compared to where we are now.”

The city is having two meetings this month to answer questions about cleanup and where the city stands.

“We want to make sure that they’re aware of the process and the work that we’re doing,” he said. “We’re also going to have our debris contractors there, as well as many city departments that are going to educate our citizens on the process and what to expect.”

Everything is still a work in process and will have more answers at the meetings this month.

Johnson and other officials will hold two town hall meetings on recovery efforts this week and next week.

The first one is on Tuesday at the Warren Road Community Center from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The second one is Tuesday, Dec. 17 at Diamond Lakes from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

There will be a question and answer session at both meetings.

If you are unable to attend, both events will be live-streamed.

Questions can be submitted by emailing mayorforms@augustaga.gov

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.