A Spring Valley man has been sentenced to more than a year in prison for orchestrating a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration of well over $1.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams says Elizier Scher exploited the funds intended for small businesses in need, effectively stealing taxpayer money during the pandemic.

In addition to the prison term, the 34-year-old has been sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay over a million in forfeiture.