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Midlothian Woman Sentenced for $1.8 M COVID-19 Fraud Using Information Obtained from Her State Employment

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia dated September 13, 2022, about Case No. 3:22-cr-44. It announces that Sadie Mitchell of Midlothian was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Hannah M. Lauck to 70 months in prison for defrauding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. According to court documents, the release states, Mitchell and a co-conspirator filed at least 20 fraudulent unemployment applications using inmates' information and at least 30 more using information Mitchell queried from a database at the Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board, obtaining approximately $1 million. It also states that Mitchell submitted 5 PPP applications and several EIDL applications containing false statements.

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“Midlothian Woman Sentenced for $1.8 M COVID-19 Fraud Using Information Obtained from Her State Employment.” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2022-09-14-midlothian-woman-sentenced-for-1-8-m-covid-19-fraud-using-i-7bd5badb58/, SHA-256 e5852ff07f0eeb1d50384a93ec955dc9a76b99b1c9a3cb1400912bf191772c47.

Full text

                                      Department of Justice
                                        U.S. Attorney’s Office
                                      Eastern District of Virginia


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                   Tuesday, September 13, 2022

  Midlothian Woman Sentenced for $1.8 M COVID-19 Fraud
  Using Information Obtained from Her State Employment
RICHMOND, Va. – A Midlothian woman was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for defrauding
the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP),
and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, using victims’ personal identifying
information that she obtained from her state government employment.

According to court documents, in the first of three fraud schemes, from May 2020 to August 2021,
Sadie Mitchell, 30, with the assistance of her co-conspirator, executed a scheme to defraud the Virginia
Employment Commission by filing at least 20 fraudulent unemployment applications using the
personal identifying information of inmates. Among the false information included in these
applications were false physical addresses, false last employers, and a false certification that the
inmates were ready, willing, and able to work in the event employment became available. The
conspirators further defrauded the Virginia Employment Commission by filing at least 30 fraudulent
applications in the names of other individuals whose personal identifying information was obtained,
in part, by Mitchell querying a government database she had access to as an employee of the Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dealer Board. Through this fraud scheme, the conspirators obtained approximately $1
million in PUA and Unemployment Insurance benefits.

Additionally, from June 2020 to June 2021, Mitchell devised and executed a scheme to defraud the
PPP and EIDL programs. The defendant submitted 5 PPP applications to a financial institution, each
containing false statements, false representations, or false certifications. For instance, these
applications contained false and fabricated gross figures and false certifications that the businesses
were in operation on February 15, 2020. The defendant further executed a scheme to defraud the EIDL
program, which was intended to give forgivable loans to small businesses. Mitchell submitted several
fraudulent EIDL applications to the Small Business Administration for businesses that had no
customers, employees, or business activity, and in those applications, she made false statements,
representations, and false certifications.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Tira A. Hayward, Acting Inspector
in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division; Troy Springer, Acting Special
Agent in Charge of the Washington, D.C. Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of
Inspector General; and Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for the Department of Homeland
Security, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Hannah M. Lauck.

Significant assistance was provided by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle, Virginia
Employment Commission and the Virginia Department of Corrections.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kashan K. Pathan and Carla Jordan-Detamore prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern
District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District
Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-44.
Topic(s):         Component(s):
Coronavirus       USAO - Virginia, Eastern
Financial Fraud
                  Contact:
                  USAVAE.Press@usdoj.gov

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