Tenn. woman who used Covid relief funds to travel to Trump resort and get plastic surgery is...

A Tennessee woman who was already on probation for fraud when she stole thousands of dollars in Covid relief funds and used the money to travel to a Florida resort and receive plastic surgery was sentenced this week to more than six years in prison and ordered to pay the money back.

Leslie Bethea, 30, of Surgoinsville, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to her probation officer after being indicted in June on wire fraud, money laundering and other charges. Judge J. Ronnie Greer sentenced Bethea to 78 months in prison on Monday.

According to the Department of Justice, Bethea applied for a Payroll Protection Program loan in March 2021, claiming she had made $99,835 in 2019 — a year during which she was in prison for wire fraud. Bethea also claimed on the application that she had not been convicted of any fraud offenses in the five years prior.