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Baltimore, Maryland – A former Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL) insider received a federal-prison term, today, for scheming to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance (UI) claim benefits during the COVID-19 Pandemic. U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Katrina McCant, 41, of Baltimore, to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Karin L. Contreras, 45, a citizen of the Dominican Republic and a U.S. lawful permanent resident, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 27 months in prison in connection with her role in a scheme that attempted to defraud unemployment insurance programs during the COVID‑19 pandemic of more than $1 million, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

BOSTON – The former Director of the City of Boston’s Municipal Protective Services pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to obtaining federal pandemic funds through fraud.

Fort Myers, Florida – Thakur Sukhdeo (40, Lehigh Acres) has pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and two counts of illegal monetary transactions related to COVID relief. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count, and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for each illegal monetary transaction count. Sukhdeo has also agreed to forfeit $413,900, which are the proceeds of the criminal offense. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Timothy Wadsworth, 35, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, was sentenced to serve 51 months in prison and pay $810,965.19 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. In addition, Wadsworth was ordered to forfeit $810,956.19, which represents the wire fraud proceeds he received. This case is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

Ian Jackson, a two-time convicted felon, was sentenced to more than ten years in federal prison today for executing a scheme to steal over $3 million in at least 15 fraudulent pandemic loans.

ANDREA WELLINGTON allegedly engaged in fraud related to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (“PUA”) program.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On October 13, 2026, MARCEL GROSS (“GROSS”), age 56, of Slidell, was sentenced on October 13, 2026 by U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion, to four years’ probation and the payment of $350,272 in restitution, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

Araceli Benitez pleaded guilty in federal court to two charges related to Paycheck Protection Program fraud