Clermont County woman sentenced in COVID-19 relief fraud case

A Clermont County woman who defrauded several government programs intended to help businesses during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.

In mid-2020, Kasey Marie Hamer submitted a series of fraudulent loan applications in her own name and in the names of family members and others, requesting more than $1 million, according to court documents.

Hamer, 37, of Batavia, and her associates received more than $150,000, officials said. She used money she received at restaurants as well as for gambling.

The applications included numerous false statements.

In one application for a loan, prosecutors say Hamer falsely claimed to make more than $8,000 a month as a marketer.

In June 2020, Hamer falsely claimed that a relative ran an event planning business that generated gross revenues of nearly $105,000 and employed 15 people. Hamer knew this information was false, prosecutors said.

U.S. District Judge Douglas Cole imposed the 55-month sentence Wednesday in federal court in Cincinnati.