The final defendant has been sentenced in a fraud scheme that federal prosecutors said stole nearly $3 million in pandemic-related unemployment relief from 600 victims.
Sylvester Atekwane, from Hyattsville, received an 18-month sentence, less than his co-defendants, because he was not the ringleader. He is set to begin serving that sentence early next year.
Atekwane, 32, pleaded guilty in July 2022 to wire fraud in relation to a CARES-Act unemployment insurance fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.
Atekwane's sentencing was originally scheduled for Jan. 6, 2023, but was postponed to Sep. 22, 2025. He was one of three men charged in the scheme.
As part of Atekwane's plea, he must pay at least $250,000 in restitution.
How the scheme worked
The indictment alleged Atekwane and two other defendants obtained social security numbers and birthdates of unwitting victims between February 2020 and February 2021. They then applied for unemployment benefits at the height of the pandemic.
The benefits would be delivered in prepaid debit cards. They would often be mailed to vacant apartments that the defendants could access.
Video obtained by authorities shows Atekwane using some of the cards to obtain money from ATMs.
"I'm so sorry about it," Atekwane said. "My advice is no one should ever think of doing anything like this."
Federal prosecutors said Atekwane defrauded one victim with limited mental capacity who was in his care at a group home.
The overall scheme involved $2.7 million in fraud and 600 victims, the government alleged. --->READ MORE HERE
A DANBURY, IOWA FARMER ACCUSED OF STEALING OVER A MILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS IN AGRICULTURAL SUBSIDIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, STEALING MULTIPLE IDENTITIES, AND STALKING A VICTIM AND WITNESS IN HIS CASE, HAS PLED GUILTY IN SIOUX CITY FEDERAL COURT.
32-YEAR-OLD TANNER JAMES SEUNTJENS WAS CONVICTED OF ONE COUNT OF THEFT OF GOVERNMENT FUNDS, ONE COUNT OF AGGRAVATED IDENTITY THEFT, ONE COUNT OF CROP INSURANCE FRAUD, AND ONE COUNT OF STALKING.
IN A PLEA AGREEMENT, SEUNTJENS ADMITTED THAT, BETWEEN JUNE 2020 AND JUNE 2021, HE DEFRAUDED THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OUT OF MORE THAN $1.5 MILLION IN CORONAVIRUS FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM GRANT MONEYS.
HE FILED APPLICATIONS AT THREE IOWA COUNTY USDA-FARM SERVICE AGENCY OFFICES IN HIS OWN NAME AND IN THE NAMES OF ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL AND A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY THAT EACH FALSELY CLAIMED OWNERSHIP OF THOUSANDS OF SWINE.
SEUNTJENS ALSO ADMITTED THAT, FROM MARCH 2021 THROUGH APRIL 2022, HE DEFRAUDED A SOUTH DAKOTA BANK BY FORGING AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BANK’S SIGNATURE ON TWO-PARTY CHECKS NO LESS THAN 20 TIMES AND, AS A RESULT, DEPRIVED THE BANK OF MORE THAN $400,000 OF ITS COLLATERAL. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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