
Pokemon has a cult status. Fans all overworld swear by the cartoon series and games and merchandise it has spawned. But how crazy a person can get to fulfill the need to revel in the fandom? Well it seems there's no limit.
An American man used USD 57,000from the coronavirus relief loan on a collectible Pokemon card. Moreover, he had obtained the loan illegally. The man by the name Vinath Oudomsine, who bought the expensive card is resident of Georgia in the USA. David Estes, the acting US attorney of the southern district of Georgia said in a news release that Oudomsine agreed to forfeit the extremely costly card as a plea agreement.
The card had the Pokemon Charizard on it.
31-year-old Oudomsine pleaded guilty in October. The charges against him were of wire fraud. Prosecutors reportedly said that he submitted false information to US Small Business Administration. Vinath Oudomsine had applied for a Covid-19 relief loan. He sought the loan for what he called "entertainment service". He claimed that he owned such a business.
Prosecutors also said that Vinath Oudomsine lied about how many people he employed as he did for his business' annual revenue.
He received USD 85,000 from the loan program. Prosecutors say that he used USD 57,789 to buy a Charizard Pokemon card.
Oudomsine has been handed a jail sentence of three years.