Las Vegas Woman Sentenced For Unemployment Benefits Scheme (April 29, 2021)

Summary

Press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada dated April 29, 2021, announcing that Deandra Michelle Smith, 36, of Las Vegas was sentenced to 12 months and a day in federal prison and three years of supervised release. According to the release, around February 2017 Smith used another person's identifying information to apply for unemployment insurance benefits with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR), falsely claiming the victim had been laid off. Between March 2017 and August 2018 Smith used the benefits debit cards in states including Nevada, California, Texas, and Hawaii, receiving $22,490 in total. Smith pleaded guilty in November 2020 to one count of mail fraud.

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Full text

                                    Department of Justice
                                       U.S. Attorney’s Office
                                        District of Nevada


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                     Thursday, April 29, 2021

  Las Vegas Woman Sentenced For Unemployment Benefits
                        Scheme
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Las Vegas woman was sentenced today to 12 months and a day in federal
prison for fraudulently applying for and receiving nearly $23,000 in unemployment benefits debit
cards, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada and Special
Agent in Charge Quentin Heiden of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-
OIG), Los Angeles Region.

According to court documents, Deandra Michelle Smith, 36, used another person’s personal
identification information — without that person’s consent — and fraudulently applied for
unemployment insurance benefits with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and
Rehabilitation (DETR). Around February 2017, Smith falsely claimed that the victim had been laid
off, when in fact the victim was employed. Smith also listed her own address on the benefits
application, so she would receive the benefits debit card issued by DETR. In carrying out her
fraudulent scheme, Smith used the same victim’s personal information to renew the unemployment
claim several times. Between March 2017 and August 2018, Smith used the DETR-issued
unemployment benefits debit cards in multiple states, including Nevada, California, Texas, and
Hawaii. In total, Smith fraudulently received $22,490 from DETR.

Smith pleaded guilty in November 2020 to one count of mail fraud. In addition to the term of
imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon sentenced Smith to three years of supervised
release.

This case was investigated by DOL-OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Fang prosecuted the case.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by
calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or
via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-
complaint-form.

                                               ###



Topic(s):                                            Component(s):
Coronavirus                                          USAO - Nevada
Financial Fraud


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