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Savannah rapper NH Skilo pleads guilty to COVID-19 relief fraud, drug possession

SAVANNAH, Ga. — A rapper in Savannah, Georgia, faces up to 26 years in federal prison after admitting he fraudulently obtained money intended for COVID-19 business assistance and possessed illegal drugs, prosecutors said Friday.

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According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, Brandon Lamar Williams, 30, of Savannah, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and two counts of possession of marijuana.

Williams, who performs under the stage name of NH Skilo, was accused of providing false information in a loan application to the Small Business Administration for economic assistance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act’s Paycheck Protection Program, WSAV-TV reported. Williams obtained more than $40,000 when he applied for the loan in June 2021, according to the television station.

Williams also admitted to marijuana possession stemming from an August 2021 traffic stop by Savannah police, and again in January 2021, WTGS-TV reported.

Because Williams has been convicted on felony drug charges in the past, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 90 days in prison, prosecutors said in the news release. He also faces financial penalties and restitution and will be subject to a maximum of three years of supervised release after completing any prison term.

“With our law enforcement partners, we continue to identify and hold accountable the fraudsters who illegally tapped into the more than $650 billion Congress appropriated for small business relief during the pandemic,” U.S. Attorney David Estes said in a statement. “Brandon Lamar Williams is learning that there is a price to pay for stealing from taxpayers.”

Williams will be sentenced at a later date.

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