Kingsley Tazinya sentenced to 20 months for US COVID loan fraud

Kingsley Tazinya, a Cameroonian businessman based in Oklahoma City known as ‘Don Pacto’, has been sentenced to 20 months in a United States federal prison for bank fraud. Tazinya pleaded guilty to defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May 2020, Tazinya submitted a fraudulent application to MidFirst Bank through his company, The Ke-Eh Brothers, Inc. He falsely claimed the business had 13 employees and a monthly payroll exceeding $99,000, resulting in a loan of approximately $249,600. Following his sentence, Tazinya will serve three years of supervised release and must pay $564,500 in restitution.

Tazinya is the husband of Audrey Monkam, Miss Cameroon 2020; however, court records indicate she has not been accused of involvement in the fraud. Additionally, reports indicate Tazinya is the nephew of Archbishop Andrew Nkea, the Archbishop of Bamenda and president of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon.