Latest news with #PUA
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Athens tax preparer sentenced to 8 years for $3.5M fraud scheme
The Brief Jessica Crawford was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for filing over $3.5 million in fraudulent tax returns linked to a pandemic-era unemployment scheme. Crawford operated through her business, filing false Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims and receiving a portion of the benefits, with over $3 million in fraudulent claims identified by the IRS. Federal law enforcement emphasized the impact of Crawford's actions on taxpayers and highlighted the ongoing commitment to prosecuting such fraud cases. MACON, Ga. - A tax preparer from Athens has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for filing more than $3.5 million in fraudulent tax returns, many connected to a pandemic-era unemployment scheme in which she received a share of the illegal proceeds. What we know Jessica Crawford, 34, was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. "Tripp" Self III to 96 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. She pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of wire fraud and one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Federal prisoners are not eligible for parole. The backstory According to court records, the FBI began investigating a multi-state fraud involving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims when they discovered Crawford's connection through text messages exchanged with others involved in the scheme. Operating through her business, Crawford Tax Services in Athens, she filed PUA applications on behalf of clients who submitted false information or fabricated businesses. In return, she received a portion of the benefits. The case also involved an undercover IRS-Criminal Investigation agent who met with Crawford in April 2022. During the meeting, Crawford fabricated a landscaping business based on a casual mention by the agent that he mowed his aunt's lawn. Without any documentation, she filed a Schedule C loss of \$19,373 and submitted a tax return electronically that falsely claimed a refund of $12,359. The return included improper claims for the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and a Qualified Business Income deduction. A statistical review by the IRS of 1,261 returns filed by Crawford for tax years 2020 and 2021 found more than $3 million in fraudulent claims, including false credits for sick leave, family leave, and dependent care. What they're saying "Federal law enforcement uncovered a large-scale tax return scheme during the pandemic that was costing taxpayers while benefiting fraudsters," said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. "Alongside our law enforcement partners, federal prosecutors will continue to uphold the law and pursue justice in these cases." Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said Crawford "lied and took advantage of funds designed to help those who were truly in need during the pandemic." "Jessica Crawford used her position as a tax preparer to defraud the U.S. government through a CARES Act program intended for those unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Lisa Fontanette, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation's Atlanta Field Office. "The sentencing Crawford received should serve notice to unscrupulous tax preparers." The Source The details in this article were provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Georgia.
CBS News
24-04-2025
- CBS News
Pontiac man pleads guilty to federal charges involving pandemic unemployment benefits fraud
A Michigan man has pleaded guilty to a role in a large-scale unemployment benefit insurance fraud scheme that involved more than $4 million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds. The details were related in a press release from Julie A. Beck, acting U.S. District Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, supported by the U.S. Department of Labor, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service and other agencies. This was not the only fraud investigation involving claims filed into the PUA federal program, which expanded and extended unemployment benefits to people whose ability to work was disrupted during 2020. A similar one handled by the Eastern District Attorney's office looked into fraud involving those who were out of work in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Maryland. And another scheme involved fraudulent claims made in 20 states. "Taxpayer money diverted into the pockets of criminals means less money going to Michiganders who actually need help getting through difficult financial times and who follow the rules when seeking assistance," Beck said in her statement. In the latest report, Terrance Calhoun Jr., 36, of Pontiac, Michigan, pleaded guilty to committing aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and to possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices, all in relation to acts of unemployment insurance fraud, the press release said. According to the plea agreement, Calhoun and others used stolen personal identification to file hundreds of false unemployment claims over a six-month time frame in Michigan, Arizona and Maryland. The claims were made in the names of other people, without their knowledge or consent, and resulted in debit cards loaded with over $4 million in unemployment insurance funds mailed to addresses where the conspirators could claim them. About $1.6 million in purchases and cash withdrawals were made from those accounts. Calhoun faces a possible federal sentence of up to 20 years in prison for each of the wire fraud counts, up to 10 years in prison for possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices, and a mandatory consecutive 2-year sentence for the aggravated identity theft charge. Sentencing is set for Aug. 27.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
ODJFS employee wrongly released $565K in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits, inspector general says
[Watch in the player above: How to tell if a company is planning layoffs] COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — An Ohio Inspector General investigation has revealed a temporary worker for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services improperly released more than $565,000 in pandemic-era relief funds in 2021, some of which went to her relatives and acquaintances. The case has been referred to a county prosecutor and the state auditor. Manhunt suspended for James Douglas Meadows, suspect in Lorain County police officer assault who is still at-large The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program was created by Congress in 2020 to address rising unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the program expanded, ODJFS received 'an unprecedented number' of new unemployment claims, according to a Thursday news release from the IG's office. The agency hired several new intermittent and temporarily contracted workers to handle the influx of claims. The agency disbursed about $7.6 billion in pandemic unemployment benefits in the 2021 fiscal year. Millions of those dollars were later determined to be fraudulent, according to the release. Car stolen with toddler in it: Suspect enters plea ODJFS in August 2021 referred a claim of wrongdoing by one of those intermittent workers to the inspector general's office. Investigators learned the woman previously worked for a private organization as a customer service representative processing PUA claims. In both jobs, she acted outside her authority by releasing a total of $565,949 over 28 PUA claims, according to the release. Investigators found the woman improperly searched for PUA claimants and removed fraud and eligibility issues and fact-finding information from their claims, allowing them to move ahead. Five of the claims were for her relatives and acquaintances, according to the release. Read the full investigation on the Inspector General's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
Woman charged with pandemic fraud to benefit inmates
(WBRE/WYOU) — A woman was charged with six counts of wire fraud for allegedly obtaining COVID-19 emergency relief unemployment benefits for herself and ineligible prison inmates. According to the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Muneerah Abdullah, 45, of Chester, PA allegedly filed Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims for herself and other ineligible recipients, including prison inmates. I-80 safety cameras catching speedsters at record numbers Abdullah allegedly made claims of being unemployed as a result of COVID-19, provided false employment or wage history, and falsely stated that the applicant was willing and able to work each day and seeking full-time employment. According to the attorney's office, Abdullah received kickbacks when she filed fraudulent claims for PUA with another's information. The U.S. Department of Justice says the PUA program was designed to provide unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended unemployment benefits. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
20-02-2025
- CBS News
Detroit man sentenced in pandemic-era unemployment fraud scheme spanning Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland
A Detroit man has been sentenced for his role in what federal authorities called a "million-dollar" unemployment fraud scheme in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case involved unemployment funds intended to assist those who were out of work in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Maryland after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Tracey Dotson, 49, was sentenced Wednesday to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $900,000 in restitution in the sentence issued by United States District Judge Matthew F. Leitman, according to the press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan. "Tracey Dotson and his co-conspirator took advantage of a program intended to help those in need get through a devastating global pandemic, exposed personal identity information of many, and caused immeasurable hardship to innocent victims," said Charles Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. Dotson pleaded guilty last April to wire fraud and conspiracy to wire fraud in the case. According to the district attorney's office, the two had filed hundreds of false unemployment claims in the names of other individuals, using Social Security numbers and other identification for those people without their knowledge or consent. With those false applications, the two received hundreds of Bank of America prepaid debit cards used or distributing unemployment benefits and sent to addresses in Michigan and Pennsylvania; totaling nearly $1 million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds. The PUA federal program, which launched in summer 2020, expanded and extended unemployment benefits to people whose ability to work was disrupted by the pandemic. Dotson and others then used cash withdrawals from the prepaid cards toward purchases such as high-end jewelry, designer fashion accessories, drugs, at least one vehicle and at least one firearm. Agencies that supported or worked on this case also included the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. "Taxpayer unemployment assistance funds diverted to the pockets of criminals during the pandemic resulted in fewer resources that were available for those genuinely in need at that challenging time," Acting U.S. District Attorney Julie Beck said in her statement.
