Failed Cincinnati mayoral candidate charged in pandemic relief fraud scheme

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Former Cincinnati mayoral candidate Kelli Prather (D), 48, of Cincinnati, appeared in federal court in Cincinnati this afternoon. According to court documents, she applied for six Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans as part of the CARES Act COVID-19 pandemic relief.

Prather allegedly purported to be the owner of six businesses – Enhanced Healthcare Solutions, Life Skills Enhancement, Prather Property Management, Reliable Ambulette Services, Rich Glo Management Services and Tots R Us. It is alleged that the bank discovered a number of errors with Prather’s loan applications and also identified that there were six different, pending applications.

According to the criminal complaint, Prather sought more than $600,000 in fraud relief and fraudulently received $19,800.

She is charged with bank fraud (up to 30 years in prison), aggravated identity theft (at least two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence imposed), making false statements (up to five years in prison), making false statements in connection to credit or loan applications (up to 30 years in prison) and false representation of a social security number (up to five years in prison).

The Democrat failed to collect the 500 valid signatures needed to be on the May 4 primary ballot.

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