In Laurel County, Kentucky , a man from Laurel County admitted to laundering money. He used the money to buy cars and motorcycles, pay off mortgages and other loans, fund a kitchen renovation, and pay for his wife’s plastic surgery.
Court documents show that on January 17, 2025,Joshua Daniel Pennington pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering. This happened between May 2020 and June 2021.
The fraud was related to loans from the federal government’s COVID – 19 relief programs, as per the court documents.
Joshua got married to Nicole Marcelle Pennington in 2020. Reportedly, Nicole applied for loans through programs meant to assist small businesses affected by the economic downturn during the pandemic. The two got married, then separated in June 2021 and finally divorced on February 11, 2022.
Nicole was charged with 16 counts of wire fraud, along with money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The charge against Joshua stated that money from the fake loans went into accounts they both could access. They used this money for personal things.
Court documents say Nicole used a Small Business Administration (SBA) Loan to pay for a cruise. Joshua took out cash, moved money between bank accounts, bought cars and motorcycles, paid off mortgages and other loans, and paid for a kitchen renovation and Nicole’s plastic surgery. Many of these transactions were worth over $10,000, according to the court documents.
The property she agreed to give to the government includes one Cadillac Escalade, two Harley Davidson motorcycles, and one Infinity QX80.
Both of them were charged separately in federal court.Joshua could face up to ten years in prison, while Nicole could face up to 20 years in prison.
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