Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the recent sentencing of Ethel Cain of Mound Bayou, Mississippi on two countsof false statements and representations and one count of wire fraud.
This casewas prosecuted by the Mississippi Attorney General's Office on referral fromthe State Auditor’s Office."These COVID stimulus funds were a lifeline to Mississippi small businesses,the people they employed, and the communities they sustained,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “This abuse was not just opportunistic, it was hurtful. We will continue to hold those who defraud our State accountableand seek justice for the people.”Cain, owner of Lifeline Financial Freedom Solutions (LFFS), knowinglysubmitted nearly $400,000 worth of fraudulent and duplicate grantapplications to the Mississippi Back to Business grant program, which wasfunded by the CARES Act and administered by the Mississippi DevelopmentAuthority (MDA). As a result of her fraudulent actions, several legitimate small businesses in Bolivar County could not receive the funding that they wouldhave been otherwise qualified to receive.
On February 18, 2025, Bolivar County Circuit Court Judge Linda F.Coleman sentenced Cain to five years probation on each count that will run concurrently.
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