PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A Philadelphia woman was indicted and accused of stealing COVID-19 relief funds meant for a South Florida city – allegedly using the money to make luxury purchases, money transfers to other people and a Brazilian cosmetic procedure involving Butt Lift Finance.
Ashley Stibbins-Parker, 30, is charged with fraud, money laundering and theft over $100,000, court documents show.
The documents filed in court in Broward County, Florida, allege that Stibbins-Parker somehow obtained a check for approximately $184,000 that was mailed from the county to the city of Weston, Florida, in February 2021.
However, the check never arrived at Weston City Hall, a city official told investigators. The following month, Stibbins-Parker opened a checking account at a Bank of America branch in Sandy Springs, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.
Court documents show the account was in the name of City of Weston LLC and was funded by the missing check, which was COVID-19 relief funding paid to the city through the province through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Safety (CARES) Act.
After the account was created, Stibbins-Parker withdrew money from the account several times and sent money to multiple people, including $40,800 to a woman and $78,500 to a real estate development company based in Orlando, Florida. Another group of transactions sent $8,800 to a woman from Snellville, Georgia.
Court documents do not indicate whether any of these people will face criminal charges.
According to the documents, Stibbins-Parker went to Adore Plastic Surgery on March 30, 2021, and paid more than $6,200 for a medical procedure listed as “Fat Transfer to the Buttocks (Brazilian Butt Lift) Liposuction,” as well as multiple tests.
The balance was paid with a Mastercard, funded through the Bank of America account opened in Georgia.
In addition to the proceedings, the documents allege the money was used for airline tickets, ATM withdrawals, hotel room payments and luxury shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Wolford stores in Bal Harbour, Florida.
It is not clear how Stibbins-Parker would have obtained the check. Weston’s assistant city manager is quoted in the documents as saying the check never arrived at City Hall, which was closed at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All mail delivered to the building would have been deposited in a collection box outside, the official said.
Stibbins-Parker has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has requested a jury trial. The attorney who entered a not guilty plea for her in court, Michael White, declined to comment.
Detective Christopher Bradley of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office worked on the case with Postal Inspector Anthony Lawing of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
