Case docket
Chanette Lewis COVID relief fraud case — U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y.
United States v. Chanette Lewis — 10 court filings in the archive, mostly from U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, filed between September 28, 2021 and January 3, 2025. Among them: 1 criminal complaint, 1 indictment and 1 information.
Case facts
| Court | U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (8 filings); U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (1 filing) |
|---|---|
| Filings | 10 public filings |
| Filed | 2021-09-28 – 2025-01-03 |
| Document types | criminal complaint (1), indictment (1), information (1), judgment (1) |
| Original PDFs | 10 of 10 |
Case summary
Chanette Lewis, also known as Netty Hott, was prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 21-cr-729 (LAK). She pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 371 in connection with a COVID-19 relief program, an unemployment insurance program and the New York City Housing Authority. The Second Circuit's summary order records that from April 2020 to September 2021 she was an organizer and leader of three schemes, one involving New York City's COVID-19 Hotel Room Isolation Program, on which she worked at a call center handling reservations. The district court sentenced her to 36 months' imprisonment and three years of supervised release and ordered forfeiture and restitution. Judgment was entered February 22, 2024 and the Second Circuit affirmed on January 3, 2025.
Case at a glance
| Defendant(s) | Chanette Lewis, a.k.a. Netty Hott; Tatiana Benjamin, Tatiana Daniel and Heaven West named as co-defendants in the appeal caption |
|---|---|
| Court and docket | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:21-cr-00729-LAK; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, No. 24-504 |
| Program | New York City COVID-19 Hotel Room Isolation Program; unemployment insurance; New York City Housing Authority benefits |
| Charges | Two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 371); the superseding information charges a conspiracy running from about April 2020 to about September 2021 |
| Outcome and sentence | Pleaded guilty; sentenced to 36 months' imprisonment and three years of supervised release, with forfeiture and restitution ordered; judgment entered February 22, 2024; affirmed by the Second Circuit January 3, 2025 |
| Counts of conviction | Pleaded guilty to counts (S2) One and (S2) Two, each conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 371, offense ended 9/30/2021; all open counts dismissed on motion of the United States (judgment of February 22, 2024, p. 1) |
| Sentence imposed | 36 months' imprisonment on each count, concurrent (p. 2); three years of supervised release (p. 3) |
| Restitution | $360,330.00, to victims on a schedule filed under seal (p. 5); the restitution order of February 8, 2024 sets the same total and names co-defendants Tatiana Daniel ($287,512) and Tatiana Benjamin ($294,624) as subject to restitution orders to the same victims (order of February 8, 2024, pp. 1-2); the plea agreement stipulates restitution of $360,916 |
| Fine and assessment | Special assessment $200.00 (p. 5) |
| Forfeiture | $289,536, "as more fully set forth in the Consent Preliminary Order of Forfeiture/Money Judgment (DI 63)" (p. 6); that order enters a money judgment of $289,536 representing proceeds traceable to counts one and two (order of December 21, 2022, p. 2) |
What were the three schemes?
Diverting free hotel rooms from New York City's COVID-19 Hotel Room Isolation Program and selling them to paying customers; obtaining unemployment insurance benefits, including an application in her own name while employed at the call center and one for her incarcerated brother; and creating false documents so that people could obtain NYCHA public housing benefits for a fee.
What did the plea agreement stipulate?
An offense level of 21, criminal history category III and a guidelines range of 46 to 57 months, with restitution of $360,916 and forfeiture of $289,536. At sentencing the parties agreed she should be sentenced as though the range were 41 to 51 months.
How much did the hotel scheme cost?
The government's sentencing memorandum states that in total the government paid more than approximately $400,000 for hotel rooms fraudulently diverted as a result of the scheme.
Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.
Filings
10 public filings from this case, in filing-date order.
- Criminal ComplaintCriminal complaint · PDF
- Indictment — United States v. Chanette LewisIndictment · PDF
- Superseding Information — United States v. Chanette LewisInformation · PDF
- Consent Preliminary Order of Forfeiture / Money Judgment — United States v. Chanette Lewis (2d Cir.)PDF
- The Government's Sentencing Memorandum — United States v. Chanette Lewis (2d Cir.)PDF
- Consent/Proposed Order of Restitution — United States v. Chanette Lewis (2d Cir.)PDF
- Judgment in a Criminal Case — United States v. Chanette LewisJudgment · PDF
- Judgment — United States v. Tatiana Daniel (Dkt. 120, S.D.N.Y.)Dkt. 120 · PDF
- Sentencing Transcript — United States v. Chanette LewisPDF
- Second Circuit Summary Order — United States v. LewisPDF
Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.