The fashion influencer who fled NYC for the Hamptons while infected with COVID-19 received up to $350,000 in government PPP loans, report says
Something Navy
Fashion influencer Arielle Charnas' company had up to $350,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans approved by the Small Business Administration in April, according to Page Six.
Charnas has been slammed for her actions during the pandemic, including using her connections to get a COVID-19 test in mid-March amid a shortage in New York City.
After testing positive, she fled to the Hamptons with her family, and was subsequently derided for breaking lockdown.
Charnas' 25-employee company, Something Navy, confirmed its PPP application to Page Six, saying it "had a responsibility to our staff to apply for this program."
The fashion brand of Arielle Charnas, the influencer slammed for fleeing to her holiday home while infected with COVID-19, received thousands in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from the US government.
Something Navy secured a loan of between $150,000 and $350,000 from the Small Business Administration on April 13, according to a report from Page Six. In her application Charnas said she had 25 employees.
The company is valued at about $45 million, CNBC reported earlier this month.
In a statement to Page Six, Something Navy confirmed it had applied for federal aid as "the pandemic had a significant impact on our business." It did not say how much money it received.
Related video: 11 fashion brands helping fight the COVID-19 pandemic
Something Navy did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. The Small Business Administration said it "does not comment on individual borrowers."
Charnas has twice become the internet's enfant terrible during the coronavirus pandemic.
On March 18, she revealed that she had obtained a COVID-19 test from a friend who was a doctor.
At the time, there was a shortage of tests in the city, and critics descended on Charnas, using her to demonstrate income inequality in the face of the coronavirus.
Robin Marchant/Getty Images
When Charnas' test came back positive, she decided to flee New York City — which was under lockdown — for her family's holiday home in the Hamptons.
The internet once again descended on Charnas and, on April 1, she published a tearful apology video on her Instagram in which she said she had received death threats.
Something Navy told Page Six in a statement this week: "All of the money was used towards our payroll to avoid job or schedule reductions during the worst of the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 — what it was intended to do."
"We did not make this decision lightly, but after careful consideration of all our financial options, we believed that we had a responsibility to our staff to apply for this program to help us manage the financial realities of the current environment."
The Small Business Administration's deadline to apply for PPP is set to expire on August 8.
Though the program has reportedly saved millions of jobs, many small businesses are reportedly still waiting for their loans to come through. Many large corporations, such as Shake Shack and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, were able to secure loans shortly after the program was launched. (Both those companies have since returned their loans.)
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