Another day, another headline about waste, fraud, and abuse in the so-called pandemic “relief” programs. And this time, it hits close to home for New York Jets fans.
Former Jets wide receiver Josh Bellamy—once a part of the NFL’s elite—has traded the gridiron for a federal prison cell after being sentenced to three years for defrauding American taxpayers of more than $1.2 million through the COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The money, meant to help small businesses keep workers employed during lockdowns, instead went to fund Bellamy’s luxury lifestyle.
Bellamy, who last suited up for the Jets in 2019, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to court documents, Bellamy submitted bogus paperwork to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to secure a $1,246,565 loan for his business, Drip Entertainment LLC. But instead of keeping any employees on payroll, he blew through the cash on high-end jewelry and stays at fancy hotels.
The kicker? He didn’t do it alone.
Bellamy admitted in court that he paid over $311,000 in kickbacks to one James Stote—an alleged fraud “facilitator” based in Florida—who helped him prepare the falsified loan application. It wasn’t Stote’s first rodeo, either. He’s also linked to another convicted fraudster, Yashicah Bain of Miramar, Florida, who received over $415,000 in COVID relief for her eyebrow salon, Microblading Brow Studio LLC. Bain used the same fraudulent blueprint and even admitted to handing Stote a $28,000 “thank you” for helping her with the scam.
As it turns out, this wasn’t an isolated incident. Stote, along with his associate Phillip Augustin, was running what federal prosecutors described as a “massive COVID-19 relief fraud scheme.” Both were eventually sentenced in May 2022, with Stote receiving six and a half years behind bars and being ordered to pay back more than $10 million in restitution.
Their operation spanned several states and netted dozens of fraudulent loans. According to the Justice Department, at least 25 individuals from Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina were charged in connection to the scheme.
Josh Bellamy, once a promising NFL talent with an eight-year career that included stints with Kansas City, Chicago, and finally the Jets, is now another cautionary tale. In his playing days, he logged 78 receptions, 1,019 yards, and five touchdowns—respectable numbers that now pale in comparison to the damage he did defrauding the American people.
The bigger issue? This case is just a snapshot of the outrageous lack of oversight that plagued pandemic relief programs. While hard-working Americans were forced to close their businesses and line up at food banks, fraudsters like Bellamy were living large—on your dime.
And once again, the federal government was asleep at the wheel.
