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Read our report on six communities’ experiences with pandemic funding and programs, which provides valuable lessons learned to improve federal emergency response programs.

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Department of Justice

South Carolina Woman and Florida Woman Sentenced in COVID-19 Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme

FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA — Nariman Mahmoud Masoud, 35, of Florence, South Carolina, and Susan Masoud, 34, of Tampa, Florida, were sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to unemployment insurance benefits.
Department of Justice

Kunia Woman Arraigned on Scheme to Defraud Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Recipients

HONOLULU – On September 5, 2023, Oseola Vakameilalo, was arraigned in federal court and pled not guilty to all 12 charges in an indictment relating to fraud in connection with the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) unemployment insurance program.
Department of Justice

Six Individuals, Including Two Maryland State Department of Labor Subcontractors, Facing Federal Indictment for a Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain COVID-19 CARES Act Unemployment Insurance Benefits

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging six individuals for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, relating to the submission of fraudulent CARES Act unemployment insurance (“UI”) claims. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The indictment was returned on October 24, 2023, and unsealed today upon the arrests of several defendants.
Department of Justice

California Man Accused of Defrauding the Federal Government Over $100,000 in Unemployment Benefits During COVID-19

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – An indictment was unsealed after a California man was arrested and is scheduled to appear in a Salt Lake City federal courthouse. The eight count indictment charges the defendant for unlawfully collecting unemployment insurance during COVID-19 from California while living and working in Utah. He also allegedly assisted others in committing the same acts for a cut of their unemployment insurance funds administered under the CARES Act.
Department of Justice

Rhode Island Man Admits to Fraudulently Filing for COVID-Relief Unemployment Benefits

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Providence man who filed fraudulent online COVID-relief unemployment insurance claims in five states pled guilty today in federal court to a charge of wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.
Department of Justice

Four Maryland Residents Facing Federal Indictment for CARES Act COVID-19 Unemployment Fraud Scheme with More Than $3 Million in Losses

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging four Maryland residents with federal conspiracy and wire fraud charges related to a CARES Act unemployment insurance fraud scheme with more than $3 million in losses. The indictment was returned on July 13, 2022, and unsealed today upon the arrests of the defendants.
Department of Justice

Maryland Man Facing Federal Indictment for Filing Fraudulent Applications for COVID-19 CARES Act Unemployment Benefits and for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Ryan E. Dales, age 34, of Baltimore, Maryland, with illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon and with wire fraud, relating to the submission of fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.
Department of Justice

Eleven Charged in $4.5 Million Dollar Pandemic Fraud Scheme

DETROIT - Eleven residents of southeast Michigan have been charged in a 23-count indictment for their alleged role in a multi-million-dollar unemployment insurance fraud scheme targeting funds set
Department of Justice

Eight Individuals Indicted and Arrested for Unemployment Benefits and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Fraud

SAN JUAN, P.R. – On October 27 and 28, 2021, the Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned six separate indictments charging eight (8) individuals with fraud against the Unemployment Insurance and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. These cases were investigated by various federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG), and the Social Security...
Department of Justice

Romanian National Pleads Guilty to $5 Million Covid Relief Fraud

SAN DIEGO – Constantin Sandu of Romania pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he masterminded a scheme to steal more than $5 million in California unemployment insurance benefits intended to help workers impacted by the pandemic.