Vinath Oudomsine (31), the Pokémon scammer from Georgia, is now facing three years in prison for his illegal activities. In the summer of 2020 he had applied for a Corona aid loan for small businesses – this was approved. However, the money was destined for something else: he used it to buy a rare Pokémon trading card – a “Shadowless” Charizard. These cards are very rare specimens that only appeared in the USA in 1999 – Charizard is considered the most valuable.
In the process, Oudomsine admitted to the allegations of fraud. His sentence includes three years in prison, repayment of the entire Corona Aid loan and an additional $10,000 fine.