A former police detective from Columbus, Ramirez Ivy, was sentenced to 18 months in prison Thursday for fraudulently obtaining a $200,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration (SBA). The sentencing, reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi, comes after Ivy conspired with Lakeith Faulkner, Norman Beckwood, and others to submit falsified loan applications.
The fraud involved fictitious business documents and false revenue claims, which were used to secure the loan. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills also ordered Ivy to pay $200,000 in restitution to the SBA for the fraud.
Ivy’s co-defendant, Felicia L. Smith, was also involved in the conspiracy and was sentenced on Jan. 23, 2025, to six months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, with an additional $200,000 restitution order.
In connection with this fraud scheme, Faulkner, a former SBA employee, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in December 2022. He was sentenced to 62 months in prison on May 24, 2023, and ordered to pay over $10.6 million in restitution.
Similarly, Beckwood, sentenced in January 2023, received 62 months in prison and forfeited significant assets, including two Mercedes-Benz vehicles, as part of his plea.
The FBI stressed its commitment to investigating fraud cases, regardless of an individual’s position, emphasizing the importance of holding individuals like Ivy accountable for crimes committed against the federal government.
FBI Special Agent in Charge, Robert Eikhoff, commented, “Today’s sentencing of former police officer, Ramirez Ivy, demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to investigating those who defraud the federal government, no matter their position within the community.”
