Damaris Valerio

By Sam Barron From Daily Voice

A 42-year-old Perth Amboy woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday, June 25, to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 loans and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits, authorities said.

Damaris Valerio, who owns and operates La Vogue House of Beauty, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said.

From April 2020 through December 2021, Valerio fraudulently obtained $194,212 in COVID-19 emergency relief funds, which were meant for distressed small businesses and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits for unemployed workers, by submitting false and fraudulent applications inflating her business’s revenues, payroll expenses, and number of employees, Habba said.

After receiving the fraudulent funds, she diverted the proceeds from the relief programs for her personal gain, Habba said.

On her Instagram, Valerio calls herself an entrepreneur who says she is about empowering women, often posting motivational videos. She has not appeared to comment on her guilty plea, most recently posting photos from a graduation.

She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison when she is sentenced in October.