26-05-2025
Detroit mail carrier accused of defrauding pandemic-era unemployment benefit programs
A Detroit man is facing federal charges of mail fraud and wire fraud related to fraudulent claims for pandemic-era unemployment benefits.
According to a federal criminal complaint, Christopher Powell, a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, admitted using addresses on his delivery route to receive unemployment insurance benefits. Officials say Powell did not live in that area. The activity in question occurred in Wayne County between July 2020 and April 2024.
In April 2024, a supervisor at the Jefferson Station Post Office in Detroit became aware of Powell's use of the addresses and notified authorities. According to court documents, Powell told authorities he filed an unemployment claim in Michigan in 2020 while on "COVID Leave" from USPS.
He claimed he had not received benefits from any other state; however, further investigation found that other unemployment insurance claims with his social security number and birthdate were filed in Arizona, California, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.
After federal investigators showed him several pieces of mail addressed to him, Powell admitted to using vacant addresses on his route instead of his own address, court records show. One of the pieces of mail confiscated during this investigation was a bank statement for the period of Dec. 26, 2023, and Jan. 25, 2024, detailing more than $25,000 in funds taken out via ATM withdrawals or Cash App transfers.
Financial institutions sent investigators footage of Powell in Detroit withdrawing money from an account associated with the benefit claim filed in California. Federal investigators discovered that between 2020 and 2021, Powell allegedly called the bank related to the California claim and disputed nearly all transactions and withdrawals in an attempt to get more money. The criminal complaint says that between July 2023 and August 2023, the bank deposited "dispute adjustment credits" back in the account for almost all withdrawals.
Additionally, the Office of Inspector General found that 26 claims were filed using Powell's home address, seven of which were successful in Michigan and Arizona. About 42 claims were filed in 16 states using a variation of an email address.
