St. Pete resident, former NFL wide receiver charged in Covid fraud scheme
September 10, 2020 - Joshua Bellamy, a former National Football League wide receiver, was charged with fraud and conspiracy as part of a scheme that prosecutors said involved filing fraudulent applications to get loans from the Paycheck Protection Program. Bellamy is named in a federal criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida, along with 10 other people, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Bellamy, who is 31-years-old, is alleged to have obtained a PPP loan of $1.2 million for his company, Drip Entertainment LLC. Prosecutors say he used the proceeds of the loan to buy more than $104,000 in luxury goods and spent nearly $63,000 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Bellamy was arrested Thursday morning, one day after he was released by the New York Jets.