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Two Men Charged With Fraud Involving More Than $1 Million in Unemployment Compensation and the CARES Act

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois dated Wednesday, September 29, 2021, announcing a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Rockford. As alleged in the indictment, from June 2020 through March 2021, Robert Carter, Sirreginald McGuire and others schemed to submit fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims to agencies in California, Maryland and Virginia, resulting in more than $1 million in benefits. Carter, 27, of Hampton, Ga., is charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, and McGuire, 26, of DeKalb, Ill., with wire fraud, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. The release states that an indictment contains only charges.

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“Two Men Charged With Fraud Involving More Than $1 Million in Unemployment Compensation and the CARES Act.” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2021-10-05-two-men-charged-with-fraud-involving-more-than-1-million-in-30001f099a/, SHA-256 c88351bd772c275bd930310740c63f0bfde10c38a170f7068d0f687234830764.

Full text

                                       Department of Justice

                                         U.S. Attorney’s Office

                                      Northern District of Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                             Wednesday, September 29, 2021



  Two Men Charged With Fraud Involving More Than $1
Million in Unemployment Compensation and the CARES Act
ROCKFORD — A superseding indictment returned Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Rockford
charged two individuals with wire fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft involving
unemployment compensation claims and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act
(“CARES Act”).

As alleged in the indictment, from June 2020 through March 2021, ROBERT CARTER,
SIRREGINALD MCGUIRE, and others schemed to submit fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment
Assistance claims to the California Employment Development Department, the Maryland Division of
Unemployment Insurance, and the Virginia Employment Commission, resulting in more than $1
million in unemployment benefits for claimants whom Carter and McGuire knew were not entitled to
them. Carter, McGuire, and others also electronically filed unemployment insurance claims in their
own names, the charges allege. The pair opted to have the unemployment benefits paid via debit cards
mailed to residences connected to Carter, McGuire, and others involved in the scheme, and then
withdrew the money from financial institutions in Illinois.

Carter, 27, of Hampton, Ga., is charged with wire fraud and mail fraud involving unemployment
compensation claims and the CARES Act, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering. McGuire,
26, of DeKalb, Ill., is charged with wire fraud and mail fraud involving unemployment compensation
claims and the CARES Act, and aggravated identity theft.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of
Illinois; Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Region of the Department of Labor –
Office of Inspector General; and William Hedrick, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S.
Postal Inspection Service. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott R. Paccagnini.

Each count of wire fraud and mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison,
while money laundering carries a maximum sentence of ten years. Aggravated identity theft carries a
mandatory sentence of two years’ imprisonment. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable
sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing
Guidelines. Arraignments in U.S. District Court in Rockford have not yet been set.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The
defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of
proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Attachment(s):
Download Carter et al superseding indictment
Topic(s):
Coronavirus
Cyber Crime
Disaster Fraud
Labor & Employment
Component(s):
USAO - Illinois, Northern
                            Updated September 29, 2021

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