An Albany County woman is going to be spending the next 16 months in prison after admitting to taking part in COVID-19 relief fraud.
On Tuesday, a judge sentenced 68-year-old Debra Hackstadt for fraudulently obtaining over 30 government-backed loans that were supposed to help businesses recover from the health crisis. The judge also ordered Hackstadt to pay back the over $1.6 million she obtained from two pandemic relief programs. Anyone who has information about COVID-19 relief fraud is asked to call the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud at 866-720-5721.