A Miami influencer is accused of fraudulently using COVID-19 relief funds to rent a luxury apartment, car, among other things

• Daniela Rendon has been charged with fraudulently using COVID-19 relief funds.
• The 31-year-old is an Instagram influencer and real estate broker from Miami.

A Miami influencer has been charged with fraudulently obtaining and using COVID-19 relief funds to fund her lavish lifestyle, per a press release from the US Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Florida.

Daniela Rendon, 31, was charged with seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Rendon is accused of falsifying documents to obtain $381,000 in fraudulent funds. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison.

Rendon's lawyer, Sam Rabin, told Insider they are holding off on commenting on the case until they can review evidence that the government has.

Last week, Rendon appeared in federal court to face her indictment. She's accused of manipulating the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Relief Program, which were established early during the pandemic to aid small businesses suffering from the mass shutdowns, and submitting fraudulent applications with incorrect payroll and revenue information. She is suspected of using the funds to sustain her luxuriant lifestyle, like renting a high-rise apartment and leasing a luxury car.

Rendon allegedly dispersed relief funds in payroll checks made to herself, family members, and friends.

The prosecution previously tried to argue for pretrial detainment on the basis that she might be a flight risk (back to her native country of Colombia), the Miami Herald reported. However Rendon and her attorney Rabin were able to successfully fight it, and the judge settled on granting her a $150,000 bond.

The influencer had over 33,000 followers on Instagram before deleting her account, as Dexerto first reported. She is also a real estate broker, and other social media accounts that appeared to belong to her (like a LinkedIn and Facebook page) have also since been taken offline.

Insider has reached out to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.