(La Porte, IN) - The case is closed against a La Porte healthcare agency accused of CARES Act funding fraud.

This week 36-year-old Amina Abbas pleaded guilty in US District Court to stealing government funds intended for COVID-19 patients. Abbas hails from a Detroit suburb but was a running a healthcare service called 1 on 1 Home Health out of a residence in La Porte. According to court documents, Abbas closed the business before the pandemic, but collected COVID relief funds anyway, exceeding $37,000. Abbas admitted that she gave the money to family members.

She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. According to the Department of Justice, the La Porte health agency was the first COVID fraud case prosecuted in the country. Abbas was initially indicted nearly a year ago.