A Detroit man was sentenced to over four years in a million-dollar pandemic unemployment insurance fraud scheme on Wednesday.
Tracey Dotson, 49, was pleaded guilty in the scheme that involved multiple states for money earmarked for unemployment assistance in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Maryland during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dotson was sentenced to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $900,000 in restitution in the sentence from United States District Judge Matthew F. Leitman.
The backstory: According to court records, Dotson and a co-defendant conspired and defrauded the government and the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland of about $1 million in funds intended to support individuals who had lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pair used interstate wires and the unauthorized possession and use of social security numbers and other means of identification belonging to other individuals.
Dotson pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in April 2024.
Dotson and his co-defendant, using stolen personal identification, filed hundreds of false unemployment claims with state unemployment insurance agencies in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland in the names of other individuals without their knowledge or consent.
They then received hundreds of Bank of America prepaid debit cards in the names of those individuals loaded with roughly $1 million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds at addresses in Michigan and Pennsylvania. --->READ MORE HERE
Two Marshall County, Mississippi residents were arrested on Monday for their part in a COVID-19 pandemic relief scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Bridget Davis and Joey Davis are accused of conspiring to fraudulently obtain government funds intended to protect employees of endangered businesses during the global pandemic through the Payroll Protection Program and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
They were each charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as well as money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering by participating in wire transfers involving proceeds of the fraud scheme.
If they are convicted, they face a total of 30 years behind bars for the conspiracy and wire fraud violations and 20 years for the money laundering charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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