BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Tribune News Service) — A federal grand jury Friday unsealed a five-count indictment against a military police officer at Edwards Air Force Base alleging more than $250,000 in fraudulent unemployment assistance.
Trevon Miller, 28, is charged with mail fraud for submitting unemployment insurance claims in more than 30 states, according to a news release issued by Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.
The indictment states that Miller, who legally changed his name and Social Security number from Trevor Rodney in December 2016, used his previous identity to file unemployment claims to state workforce agencies, such as the Employment Development Department, falsely stating he was an unemployed resident of that state.
The indictment also alleges that Miller took advantage of the fact that the U.S. government had created a $300 billion expansion of eligibility for unemployment benefits as a result of COVID-19. As a result, he was able to file false claims in New York, California, Arizona, Nevada and Indiana, according to the indictment.
In count, for example, Miller claimed he was an unemployed cab driver and chauffeur in Nevada, according to the indictment. He then applied for and received assistance in the form of debit cards from Bank of America and Key Bank in the name of Trevor Rodney, and used the state workforce agency funds deposited into those cards for his own benefit.
The actual losses incurred to state agencies listed in the indictment...
Three Oklahomans have been charged as part of a federal crackdown on health care fraud throughout the United States. More than 450 people, including doctors and nurse practitioners across 45 states...