A US man, Kimani Bracey, has been sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison for operating a fraudulent document marketplace used to defraud banks and obtain pandemic relief funds.

Kimani, 49, of Simpsonville, South Carolina, was also ordered to pay $386,960.50 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release.

The sentence was handed down on Wednesday, October 28, by US District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. Bracey pleaded guilty to wire fraud on June 26, 2026.

According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Kimani operated two websites selling fake documents, including tax returns, bank records and employment verification documents.

Investigators established that customers used the documents to commit fraud against banks and other financial institutions.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation traced several fake documents created by Kimani to applications for Paycheck Protection Programme loans submitted to banks, resulting in more than $380,000 in fraudulent loans.

Kimani also created fake pay slips and counterfeit employer verification documents to help customers obtain loans fraudulently.

He further sold fake Covid-19 test results, according to information presented in court.

US Attorney Theodore S Hertzberg said Kimani took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to facilitate fraud against the government and financial institutions.

“Bracey Kimani exploited the nation’s struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic by creating and disseminating fake documents that fueled extensive fraud against the government, banks and other financial institutions,” Hertzberg said.

He said his office would continue holding accountable those who facilitate fraud.

FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham said Kimani profited from helping others steal federal funds during the pandemic.

“During a time of unprecedented national peril, Kimani Bracey took advantage of a pandemic and profited off helping others steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funds,” Graham said.

According to the statement, Graham said the FBI and its law enforcement partners were continuing to pursue pandemic-related fraud cases.

“Years after the pandemic, the FBI and our law enforcement partners continue to hold individuals accountable for committing fraud on the government,” she added.

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Calvin A Leipold III and Angela Adams.

The US Department of Justice urged anyone with information about suspected Covid-19 fraud to report it through its National Centre for Disaster Fraud hotline or online complaint form.

"Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form ," the statement read in part.