A Broward Sheriff's Office detention technician has been arrested on several charges after authorities said she fraudulently applied for more than $35,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.
Jada Ja’Nai Mozie, 28, was arrested Thursday on three counts of scheme to defraud a financial institution and two counts of uttering a forged instrument, BSO officials said.
Investigators said that Mozie used an inflated income amount and false business information to apply for Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster loans last year. The programs are intended to help businesses suffering financial loss due to the COVID-19 crisis.
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Mozie was approved for and received a PPP loan of $20,832, and was denied the EIDL but she still received $15,000 in grant money based on the business information she submitted, authorities said.
Detectives said they found no record of Mozie operating a business.
In July, Mozie also applied for a credit card using a social security number she bought for $200, officials said. Detectives learned the social security number belonged to someone residing in Miami-Dade County.
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In Spetember, Mozie applied for leases for two separate apartment rentals using fraudulent paystubs, bank statements and employment verification forms, officials said.
When BSO's Department of Human Ressources was contacted to verify her employment and income, HR noticed Mozie's paystub had been altered with an inflated income, and notified the department's Public Corruption Unit, officials said.
"Our Human Resource employees are to be commended. Their vigilance led to this internal investigation involving one of our own," Sheriff Gregory Tony said. “The more our Public Corruption Unit investigators probed, the more criminal activity they uncovered."
Mozie, who has been with BSO since February of 2016, has been suspended without pay following the arrest. She wasn't listed in jail records Friday, and attorney information wasn't available.
