Reports

The defendants allegedly schemed to fraudulently obtain Covid-relief benefits.

NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JAZMIN J. BOUGERE, age 38, a resident of Raceland, Louisiana, was sentenced on July 17, 2025 to (6) six months of incarceration with (6) six months of home detention to follow by U.S. District Court Judge Barry W. Ashe after pleading guilty to a one-count bill of information for theft of government funds related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

Greenbelt, Maryland – Zakria Hussain, 28, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, relating to the submission of fraudulent CARES Act unemployment insurance claims. According to the plea agreement, beginning in at least March 2021, and continuing until about August 2022, Hussain and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud the United States, the State of Maryland, multiple financial institutions, and multiple individuals.

A former Amtrak employee was sentenced today to 25 months in federal prison for conspiring with her husband to steal nearly $1 million in COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and for fraudulently obtaining more than $63,000 in sickness benefits while she worked at the passenger railroad company.

An Inglewood woman has been arrested on a 14-count federal grand jury indictment alleging she fraudulently obtained more than $1.3 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds by submitting more than 100 fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits using stolen identities, including those of California state prisoners, the Justice Department announced today.

Tiffanie Foster, 48, Kansas City, Mo., charged with two counts of wire fraud for fraudulently receiving pandemic funds in the form of a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and unemployment benefits.

A Middlesex County, New Jersey, woman admitted that she fraudulently obtained Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”), Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits.

Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that Paris Lashay Haynes, age 28, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles to wire fraud.

Baltimore , Maryland – U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced David Godin, 34, of Miami, Florida, aka “James St Patrick,” “David Wetty,” and “Vic Pro,” to 78 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Godin pled guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to defraud the Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL) and California Employment Development Department (CA-EDD). Judge Maddox also ordered Godin to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $1,087,345.66 and restitution of $1,137,894.56.

An Inland Empire woman was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining $1.7 million in COVID-19 pandemic-related jobless benefits, federally-guaranteed small business loans, California Small Business COVID-19 relief grants, and Los Angeles County economic opportunity grants.