Ex-NFL star Joshua Bellamy accused of $24 million scam involving COVID-19 relief funds

Former New York Jets wide receiver Joshua Bellamy has been accused of being involved in a $24 million fraud scheme where he allegedly took false loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), meant to aid small business amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and instead spent it on personal expenses. Bellamy was arrested on Thursday and charged with wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, according to reports in the US. 

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Josh Bellamy arrested on wire fraud, bank fraud charges

A seven-year veteran in the NFL, Joshua Bellamy was cut by the Jets earlier this week and the 31-year-old currently remains a free agent. Per reports, Bellamy falsified documents and obtained a loan of $1.2 million for his inactive company, Drip Entertainment. Although the company has been inactive for over a year now, Bellamy produced documents that claimed he had $1.5 million of quarterly payroll expenses. Bellamy's loan request was approved on May 28, 2020, the official complaint read. 

After this, the former NFL player applied for similar loans under the Paycheck Protection Program to several different banks, most of which were rejected. It is said the 31-year-old was involved in over 90 such fraudulent applications, which equated to nearly $24 million. The report also claims that Bellamy spent more than $60,000 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, with additional tens of thousands of expenses in purchasing custom jewellery and designer clothes. 

The PPP loan program was announced as a part of the $2 trillion CARES Act, meant to help small businesses with emergency and forgivable loans of up to $10 million. According to a recent report from the Department of Justice, over $1 billion of such funds likely went to fraudulent schemes, with 57 people so far being charged with trying to steal more than $175 million from the program. 

After his arrest on Thursday, Bellamy was released on a $250,000 signatory bond including a number of conditions. Diego Weiner, Bellamy's attorney denied those allegations, stating he hopes his client will get the benefit of the doubt. 

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Joshua Bellamy NFL career

Joshua Bellamy was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012 after he went undrafted during that year's NFL draft. Following an unsuccessful stint with the Chiefs, Bellamy appeared for San Diego Chargers (now LA Chargers) and Washington Redskins (now Washington Football Team). He finally found his home in Chicago, spending four seasons with the Bears between 2014 and 2018. The wide receiver joined the Jets last year, signing a two-year $5 million contract. He was cut from the roster on September 8, 2020, after spending almost the entirety of the 2019 season on the treatment table. Bellamy received 78 passes for 1,019 yards and five touchdowns in his career. 

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(Image Credits: AP)