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By Gordon Byrd Jan 29, 2021 WINTER HAVEN -- Polk Sheriff Grady Judd says a restaurant manager's attempt to help out an employee turned into a mushrooming case of CARES Act fraud against the county. The federal CARES Act enabled Polk County to pay out $2,000 checks to people who lost jobs or hours due to COVID. Judd says a manager at a Lake Wales McDonald's restaurant felt sorry for Ebony Chaney and prepared an HR document to Polk CARES, which was duplicated by other employees. Several employees of a local Publix reportedly used forged documents to receive CARES money. Judd says most of th...

People faked documents to get cash

By Gordon Byrd Jan 29, 2021 WINTER HAVEN -- Polk Sheriff Grady Judd says a restaurant manager's attempt to help out an employee turned into a mushrooming case of CARES Act fraud against the county. The federal CARES Act enabled Polk County to pay out $2,000 checks to people who lost jobs or hours due to COVID. Judd says a manager at a Lake Wales McDonald's restaurant felt sorry for Ebony Chaney and prepared an HR document to Polk CARES, which was duplicated by other employees. Several employees of a local Publix reportedly used forged documents to receive CARES money. Judd says most of th...

People faked documents to get cash

The Polk County Sheriff's Office has arrested 10 people on charges of receiving Polk CARES funds through fraudulent applications after a six-month long investigation. Those accused range from paraprofessionals to Publix employees.  Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said nine of the 10 individuals received $2,000 each from Polk CARES, a county program launched in May to provide financial assistance to residents struggling to pay for rent, utilities and housing costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $18,000 was paid from these falsified applications, according to the sheriff, and has ...