ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jamie Johnson, age 36, of Albany, pled responsible at present to conspiring to commit mail fraud and aggravated identification theft. Johnson admitted to submitting false unemployment insurance coverage purposes on-line with the New York State Division of Labor (NYSDOL) with a purpose to fraudulently acquire $701,441 in advantages issued within the names of different individuals.
The announcement was made by United States Lawyer Carla B. Freedman; New York State Inspector Basic Lucy Lang; Matthew Scarpino, Performing Particular Agent in Cost of the Buffalo Subject Workplace of Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI); Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Cost of the Boston Division of the USA Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and Jonathan Mellone, Particular Agent in Cost, New York Area, United States Division of Labor, Workplace of Inspector Basic (USDOL-OIG).
United States Lawyer Carla B. Freedman acknowledged: “Jamie Johnson used stolen identities to cheat a system designed to assist unemployed New Yorkers because the pandemic raged in 2020 and 2021. Johnson’s crimes in the end didn’t pay – she goes to jail and she or he has forfeited lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} in ill-gotten positive aspects. Johnson’s prosecution is the results of a multi-agency initiative to pursue, cease and deter fraudsters who attempt to steal public funds and undermine the integrity of the unemployment insurance coverage program.”
New York State Inspector Basic Lucy Lang acknowledged: “Unemployment insurance coverage fraud undermines the integrity of an important authorities security internet, can have an effect on victims’ potential to file professional claims, and places extra pressure on already struggling New York State households. Our workplace is grateful for the collaboration with our federal companions in working to guard weak neighborhood members and good authorities.”
HSI Performing Particular Agent in Cost Matthew Scarpino acknowledged: “Jamie Johnson displayed a whole disregard for the regulation and a system designed to help these struggling. I commend our brokers and regulation enforcement companions on a job properly executed—HSI will proceed to search out and maintain accountable those that defraud the U.S. packages designed to help people in want.”
In pleading responsible, Johnson admitted to receiving private figuring out data from different individuals and utilizing it to file false unemployment insurance coverage purposes in different individuals’s names. She then collected the ensuing unemployment insurance coverage advantages, together with by driving a Maserati sport utility car to Capital Area banks and withdrawing money utilizing debit playing cards tied to the advantages. The Maserati, over $200,000 in money, and a number of jewellery gadgets are topic to administrative forfeiture pursuant to the plea settlement.
Johnson additionally agreed to pay restitution within the quantity of $701,441 to the State of New York.
The mail fraud conviction carries a most time period of 20 years in jail, a superb of as much as $250,000, and a time period of supervised launch of as much as 3 years. The identification theft conviction carries a compulsory time period of two years in jail, to be imposed consecutive to some other time period of imprisonment. Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22, 2022 by Senior United States District Decide Lawrence E. Kahn. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a decide primarily based on the actual statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Pointers and different elements.
USPIS Inspector in Cost Ketty Larco-Ward acknowledged: “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is firmly dedicated to investigating people like Johnson who benefit from packages designed to assist people throughout occasions of hardship. The U.S. Postal Service has confirmed to be an important service that our prospects depend on, particularly all through this pandemic. We are going to proceed to work exhausting to stop any legal misuse of the U.S. Mail and work with our regulation enforcement companions to place a cease to advanced fraud schemes akin to this.”
USDOL-OIG Particular Agent in Cost Jonathan Mellone acknowledged: “Jamie Johnson used the identities of others to fraudulently acquire over $700,000 in unemployment advantages. The Unemployment Insurance coverage Program exists to offer wanted help to certified people who’re unemployed resulting from no fault of their very own. Fraud in opposition to the Unemployment Insurance coverage Program distracts state workforce businesses from guaranteeing advantages go to people who’re eligible to obtain them. The Workplace of Inspector Basic will proceed to work intently with our regulation enforcement companions to analyze those that exploit the Unemployment Insurance coverage Program.”
This case was investigated by the New York State Inspector Basic’s Workplace, HSI, USPIS, and USDOL-OIG, with help from the NYSDOL Workplace of Particular Investigations, the Capital Area Crime Evaluation Middle, the Albany County Division of Social Providers, and the USA Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Lawyer John T. Chisholm.
On Could 17, 2021, the Lawyer Basic established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Job Drive to marshal the assets of the Division of Justice in partnership with businesses throughout authorities to reinforce efforts to fight and forestall pandemic-related fraud. The Job Drive bolsters efforts to analyze and prosecute probably the most culpable home and worldwide legal actors and assists businesses tasked with administering aid packages to stop fraud by, amongst different strategies, augmenting and incorporating current coordination mechanisms, figuring out assets and methods to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing data and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For extra data on the Division’s response to the pandemic, please go to https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anybody with details about allegations of tried fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Division of Justice’s Nationwide Middle for Catastrophe Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or through the NCDF Net Criticism Kind at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.