US man Kimani Bracey jailed for defrauding banks, State agencies Ksh.50M in COVID-19 relief funds

• Kimani Bracey, of Simpsonville, South Carolina, was sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

A 49-year-old man has been sentenced to more than two years in prison in the United States for operating an online marketplace that sold fake documents used to defraud banks and government agencies of hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds.

Kimani Bracey, of Simpsonville, South Carolina, was sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

US District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. also ordered him to pay restitution of Ksh.50 million ($386,960.50).

According to the US Attorney's Office, Bracey operated two websites that offered fraudulent documents, including fake tax returns, bank statements and employment verification records, which customers used to obtain loans and commit other forms of fraud.

Investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) traced several documents created by Bracey to applications for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a US government initiative established during the COVID-19 pandemic to support businesses.

The fraudulent applications resulted in more than Ksh.50 million in loans being obtained from financial institutions.

Bracey also produced fake payslips, counterfeit employer verification documents and falsified COVID-19 test results, which customers used for various fraudulent activities.

US Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said Bracey exploited the challenges caused by the pandemic by creating and distributing fake documents that facilitated fraud against the government, banks and other financial institutions.

“Bracey exploited the nation’s struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic by creating and disseminating fake documents that fueled extensive fraud against the government, banks, and other financial institutions,” Hertzberg said.

“My office will continue to hold these criminals accountable for facilitating fraud.”

FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham added that Bracey took advantage of the public health crisis to help others steal federal funds.

“During a time of unprecedented national peril, Kimani Bracey took advantage of a pandemic and profited off helping others steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funds,” Graham said.

Bracey pleaded guilty to wire fraud on June 26, 2026. The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Calvin A. Leipold III and Angela Adams.

The sentencing comes amid broader efforts by the US Department of Justice to strengthen investigations and prosecutions of fraud involving public funds.

On April 7, 2026, the department announced the establishment of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, tasked with investigating and prosecuting fraud against the American public.

The division's work is part of President Donald Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President JD Vance targeting fraud, waste and abuse in federal benefit programmes.