FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA — A Florence couple, along with family members from Florida and New York, have all pleaded guilty for their role in a nationwide unemployment fraud conspiracy. Those Defendants pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud are
According to information presented to the Court, fraud schemes against unemployment benefits programs had become more prevalent after the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act provided federally-funded expanded Unemployment Insurance (UI).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) lengthy investigation included witness interviews, confidential informants, search warrants, and subpoenas. The investigation revealed that from January 2020 to February 2022, the Defendants engaged in a wire fraud conspiracy to file and receive fraudulent claims for regular UI and expanded pandemic UI benefits from New York, Florida, and South Carolina.
Specifically, the Defendants would electronically submit false UI claims to various state agencies, using the personal identifying information of others they had procured. The Defendants had the funds loaded onto prepaid debit cards issued in the names of the third parties, had the cards mailed to addresses under their control, and used the cards to...
Over the last year, beyond traditional healthcare and federal procurement matters, the government has pursued federal False Claims Act (FCA) investigations and enforcement across high-risk areas, ...