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Buffalo Woman Pleads Guilty To COVID Fraud (September 2, 2021)

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York dated Thursday, September 2, 2021. It states that Shaneesha White, 25, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to wire fraud involving benefits connected to a presidentially declared national emergency. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, between June 2020 and February 2021 White fraudulently collected unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor, including through accounts in the names of two individuals. The release states that White unlawfully collected $48,833.15 in benefits and that sentencing is scheduled for January 14, 2022.

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“Buffalo Woman Pleads Guilty To COVID Fraud (September 2, 2021).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2021-09-09-buffalo-woman-pleads-guilty-to-covid-fraud-usao-wd-ny-09-02-887d7f0e5e/, SHA-256 989ebece7ae6aae42a39050275e9569afa47915bbc5c1c5272997525878cdfd0.

Full text

                                      Department of Justice

                                        U.S. Attorney’s Office

                                    Western District of New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                  Thursday, September 2, 2021



           Buffalo Woman Pleads Guilty To COVID Fraud
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Shaneesha White, 25,
of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to wire fraud involving
benefits connected to a presidentially declared national emergency. The charges carry a maximum
penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that between June 2020 and
February 2021, the defendant defrauded the New York State Department of Labor by fraudulently
collecting unemployment insurance benefits, to which she was not entitled. White applied for and
received benefits in her own name, under false and fraudulent pretenses. The defendant and others
also used the personal identifying information of two individuals fraudulently to create benefit
accounts and collect benefits in the names of these individuals. The benefit money was deposited
into bank accounts held and controlled by the defendant at Key Bank. Key Bank also issued ATM
cards in both the White’s name and in the names of the two individuals, which the defendant used to
make cash withdrawals of the benefits. As a result of the fraud, the defendant unlawfully collected
$48,833.15 in benefits.

The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial
assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-
19 pandemic. It expands states’ ability to provide unemployment insurance for many workers
impacted by COVID-19, including for workers who are not ordinarily eligible for benefits. The
CARES Act provided for three new UI programs: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA);
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC); and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment
Compensation (PEUC).

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.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector
General, Office of Investigations – Labor Racketeering and Fraud, New York Region, under the
direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone; the Department of Homeland Security,
Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Todd Allen; the
U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Jeffrey Burr; and the Social
Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge
John F. Grasso.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 14, 2022, before Judge Vilardo.
####
Topic(s):
Coronavirus
Component(s):
USAO - New York, Western
                           Updated September 2, 2021

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