Former Miami Gardens Police Officer Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Loan Fraud
Alvin Bernard, a 38-year-old former police officer from Miami Gardens, has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to obtain a nearly $64,000 business loan through a COVID-19 relief program. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Bernard, as the sole manager of Vanity Properties, LLC, submitted an online loan application falsely claiming the company generated $127,881 in gross revenues for the 12-month period preceding January 31, 2020. The SBA approved the $63,900 Economic Injury Disaster Loan based on this fraudulent information. U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones emphasized that Bernard, sworn to uphold the law, abused public trust by stealing from a program intended for businesses harmed by the pandemic. Bernard has agreed to resign from the police department, surrender his Florida law enforcement certification, and not seek recertification. 
