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Bristol, Tennessee Woman Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Role in Pandemic Unemployment Scheme

Summary

Press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia dated July 26, 2021, announcing a 24-month federal prison sentence for Melissa Hayes, 51, of Bristol, Tennessee. Hayes pleaded guilty earlier in the year to one count of conspiracy to commit unemployment fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. According to the release, members of the conspiracy collected personal identification information of more than 35 co-conspirators, including 15 inmates in the custody of the Virginia Department of Corrections, and over nine months filed fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims for at least 37 individuals. The release puts the total actual loss to the United States at least $499,000; Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. Murphy prosecuted the case.

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“Bristol, Tennessee Woman Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Role in Pandemic Unemployment Scheme.” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2021-07-28-bristol-tennessee-woman-sentenced-to-24-months-in-prison-fo-e91fdc8f1e/, SHA-256 8a06c441147b8d93745e594e494ebc171dad6ff3bb2e3e37212f773966d52a1b.

Full text

                                      Department of Justice

                                        U.S. Attorney’s Office

                                     Western District of Virginia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                          Monday, July 26, 2021



     Bristol, Tennessee Woman Sentenced to 24 Months in
     Prison for Role in Pandemic Unemployment Scheme
ABINGDON, Va. – A Bristol, Tenn. woman, who conspired with others to fraudulently file more than
$499,000 in in pandemic unemployment benefits, was sentenced today to 24 months in federal
prison.

Melissa Hayes, 51, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of conspiracy to commit
unemployment fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

According to court documents, Hayes conspired with others to commit fraud against the United
States in connection with a scheme involving the filing of fraudulent claims for pandemic
unemployment benefits.

Members of the conspiracy, including Hayes, worked together to collect personal identification
information of more than 35 co-conspirators, including 15 inmates in the custody of the Virginia
Department of Corrections, and to file fraudulent claims of pandemic-related unemployment
benefits.

Over the course of nine months, Hayes, and others, filed fraudulent claims for at least 37 individuals,
with a total actual loss to the United States of at least $499,000.

The Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal
Investigation, Norton Police Department, and Russell County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar of the Western District of Virginia, Acting Special
Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon, IRS-CI Washington D.C. Field Office and, Syreeta Scott, Acting
Special Agent-in-Charge, Philadelphia Region made the announcement today.

Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. Murphy prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to
marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government
to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to
investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists
agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other
methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources
and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing
information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the
Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

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 (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-
5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-
disaster-complaint-form .
Component(s):
USAO - Virginia, Western
                                                                              Updated July 26, 2021

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