Kentucky man sentenced in $1.3M COVID-relief fund scheme

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining $1.3 million in pandemic small business loans. Federal authorities say he used some of the funds to pay off gambling debts. Randall “Rocky” Blankenship, of Versailles, was sentenced to 42 months on Thursday. A plea agreement say the 49-year-old Blankenship submitted fraudulent applications in April 2020 for four business. The pandemic relief funds were provided under the Paycheck Protection Program, part of a federal relief package in 2020. The U.S. Attorney’s office says Blankenship has repaid the stolen funds in full.