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Jaleel Phillips

Defendant

Type
Person
Role
Defendant
Updated

The profile

A 25-year-old Capitol Heights, Maryland man sentenced to 30 months in federal prison over fraudulent COVID-19 loans and unemployment benefits. With his twin brother, he used more than 20 stolen identities and fake aliases to obtain over $1 million.

Identity and role

Jaleel Phillips, 25, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, was prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (Greenbelt) as part of a twin-brother wire fraud conspiracy with his brother and co-defendant Jerry Phillips (a/k/a "Tian Juzo") and at least one other person.

The scheme and pandemic-relief role

According to the Department of Justice, from March 2020 to February 2022 the Phillips brothers and at least one other co-conspirator fraudulently obtained COVID-19-related benefits: filing fraudulent PPP loan applications, EIDL loan applications, and unemployment insurance claims. They created fictitious aliases and used the personal identifying information of more than 20 real people. They used defunct or shell corporate entities with no actual operations to apply for loans and benefits. Proceeds were deposited into bank accounts opened under the aliases, then withdrawn via ATM, debit/credit card purchases, or transferred between accounts. The total scheme was initially charged as exceeding $1 million (per DOJ's original "Twin Brothers" charging release). When Jaleel Phillips pleaded guilty on November 28, 2022, DOJ described his conspiracy as exceeding $750,000; his brother Jerry's February 17, 2023 plea covered a conspiracy to obtain more than $1 million.

  • Charged: February 16, 2022 — wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and identity theft, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (per DOJ, "Twin Brothers Facing Federal Charges for Allegedly Obtaining Over $1 Million in COVID-19 Loans and Unemployment Insurance Benefits").
  • Pleaded guilty: November 28, 2022, to a federal wire fraud conspiracy (initially described as exceeding $750,000); the February 17, 2023 plea to a conspiracy to obtain more than $1 million was his brother Jerry's (wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft and illegal possession of a machine gun).
  • Sentenced: June 22, 2023 — 30 months in federal prison, ordered to pay $1,142,769 in restitution.
  • Co-defendant/twin brother Jerry Phillips (a/k/a "Tian Juzo"): sentenced June 26, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang to seven years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and $1,235,213 in restitution, on wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, and illegal possession of a machine gun charges. Jerry Phillips personally obtained and controlled more than $1 million in fraud proceeds, including using $65,538.95 to buy a 2020 Chevrolet Camaro registered in his own name; a search of his residence recovered more than 25 fake driver's licenses and four illegally modified "ghost guns," including one converted into a machine gun.

Where they are now (2025–2026)

Not publicly documented beyond the sentencing record.

Sources

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