A former Miami Gardens police officer admitted he lied on a COVID-era SBA loan application, triggering a federal case that includes criminal charges, a guilty plea, and enforced career consequences.
Alvin Bernard, 38, of Miami Gardens, pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the Small Business Administration to obtain a $63,900 Economic Injury Disaster Loan. The payment came from the EIDL program set up under the CARES Act to help businesses weather pandemic losses. Bernard’s role as the sole manager of Vanity Properties LLC and his concurrent employment with the Miami Gardens Police Department are central to the case. His actions led federal prosecutors to file charges that he has now admitted to in court.
“Alvin Bernard was a police officer sworn to uphold the law, yet he lied to obtain federal relief funds intended for businesses harmed by the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. “His guilty plea holds him accountable for abusing the public trust and stealing from a program funded by American taxpayers.” These words from the U.S. Attorney frame why prosecutors treated the matter as a serious abuse of federal relief programs. They underscore the legal and ethical expectations placed on law enforcement officers.
The EIDL program was created to compensate qualifying businesses for economic injury tied to COVID-19 restrictions and shutdowns. Applicants had to certify, under penalty of perjury, that the information they submitted — including a business’s gross revenues — was true and accurate. That certification was a core part of the application process and a legal safeguard against fraud. Misrepresenting those numbers corrupts the system designed to keep small businesses afloat.
Court records say Bernard submitted an online EIDL application on behalf of Vanity Properties LLC while he remained employed as a police officer with the Miami Gardens Police Department. Acting as the company’s sole manager and authorized representative, he allegedly provided false information about the company’s finances to qualify for federal disaster assistance. The submission led to an SBA approval and an electronic funds transfer into Vanity Properties’ bank account.
Specifically, Bernard certified that Vanity Properties generated $127,881 in gross revenues for the 12-month period preceding Jan. 31, 2020. In reality, the company had not earned those revenues. Based on that false information, the SBA approved and disbursed a $63,900 EIDL by electronic funds transfer into Vanity Properties’ bank account. That gap between claimed and actual income is the factual heart of the criminal charge.
Bernard faces a maximum sentence of two years in federal prison for making a false statement to the SBA. As part of his plea agreement, he also agreed to resign from the Miami Gardens Police Department, surrender his Florida law enforcement certification, and permanently refrain from seeking recertification. Those career and licensing consequences are significant and permanent steps that followed the guilty plea.
Investigative and prosecutorial work on the case involved multiple agencies. The announcement identified U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Xerri of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, Eastern Region; and Special Agent in Charge Michael Townsend of the U.S. Secret Service, Miami Field Office. FBI Miami, SBA OIG Eastern Region, and USSS Miami Field Office continue to be listed as investigators in the matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Zack handling asset forfeiture matters. The legal team will present the case and any agreed restitution or forfeiture terms to the court at sentencing. The guilty plea resolves the criminal charge for now, but federal procedures for sentencing and restitution follow established timelines and judicial review.
Fraud against relief programs not only costs money but also erodes confidence in emergency assistance systems that were designed to prevent layoffs and business closures. When people who enforce the law are found to have lied to obtain taxpayer-funded aid, it adds a particular sting to public trust concerns. The case remains a reminder that federal relief programs carry legal obligations and that misuse invites criminal penalties and professional fallout.
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