Eleven Defendants Facing Federal Charges Relating to Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme

Summary

A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, dated Friday, December 2, 2022, announcing a superseding indictment returned on November 30, 2022 that adds two new defendants to nine previously charged in a Maryland and California unemployment insurance scheme. The superseding indictment charges conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and stealing a post office key; those charged include Michael Akame Ngwese Ay Makoge, Dementrous Von Smith, Christopher Thomas Yancy and Tayonna Sonora Johnson. The 46-count indictment alleges that from February 2020 to October 2021 the defendants used victims' personal identifying information to submit over 200 fraudulent claims, resulting in more than $1.6 million in losses. It also alleges that Yancy unlawfully possessed a Postal Service key in October 2021.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                     Friday, December 2, 2022

   Eleven Defendants Facing Federal Charges Relating to
  Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme with More Than
                 $1.6 Million in Losses
   The Defendants Allegedly Submitted over 200 Fraudulent Unemployment
    Insurance Claims Using the Personal Identifying Information of Victims
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment adding two new
defendants to the nine defendants previously charged in relation to a Maryland and California
unemployment insurance scheme. The superseding indictment charges the defendants with
conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and stealing a post office
key. The superseding indictment was returned on November 30, 2022. Charged in the superseding
indictment are:

      Michael Akame Ngwese Ay Makoge, a/k/a “2Hype”, age 28, of Laurel, Maryland;
      Dementrous Von Smith, a/k/a “Meecho” and “El Meecho”, age 26, of Waldorf, Maryland;
      Nadine Mahoro Mwamikazi, age 25, of Silver Spring, Maryland;
      Sky Tiffany Lawson, age 28, of Bowie, Maryland;
      Christopher Thomas Yancy, a/k/a “Lil Bhris”, age 30, of Laurel, Maryland;
      Sayquan Leon Bridges, a/k/a “Quan”, age 27, of Bowie, Maryland;
      Christian Malik Adrea, a/k/a “Lil Leak”, age 24, of Mitchellville, Maryland;
      Stephawn Malik Watson, a/k/a “O-Dawg”, age 27, of District Heights, Maryland;
      Aiyanna Mone Washington, a/k/a “Yanna”, age 27, of Glenarden, Maryland;
      Trez Anthony Hendy, a/k/a “Torch,” age 29, of Silver Spring, Maryland; and
      Tayonna Sonora Johnson, age 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland.

The superseding indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland
Erek L. Barron; Postal Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service -
Washington Division (USPIS); Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, of the Washington
Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG); and Chief Amal
E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent
of the Maryland State Police (MSP); and Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

The 46-count indictment alleges that, from February 2020 to October 2021 the defendants conspired
to impersonate victims to submit fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits in
Maryland and California. As part of the scheme to defraud, the defendants allegedly obtained the
birthdates, social security numbers, and other personal identifying information of numerous victims
which they used to prepare and submit fraudulent applications for UI benefits. According to the
indictment, the applications contained false information, including the victims’ contact information,
states of residence, and availability for work. These fraudulent applications allegedly caused
financial institutions to load UI benefits onto debit cards and mail the cards to physical addresses
provided and monitored by the defendants. The indictment alleges that once the defendants
received the fraudulently obtained benefits on the debit cards, they used them for cash withdrawals
and other transactions for their own financial benefit. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants
submitted over 200 fraudulent UI claims, resulting in more than $1.6 million in losses.

Further, the indictment alleges that in October 2021, Yancy unlawfully possessed a Postal Service key
and intended to improperly use the key.

If convicted, all the defendants face a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for the
conspiracy and for each count of wire fraud in which they are charged; and a mandatory two years in
federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft. Yancy also
faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for unlawfully possessing a U.S. Postal Service key. Actual
sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court
judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other
statutory factors.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent
unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the USPIS, DOL-OIG, the Anne Arundel County
Police Department, HSI, MSP, and ATF, for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked the
United States Marshals Service, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery
County Police Department, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the Charles
County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen
McGuinn, who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available
to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-
md/community-outreach.

                                                ###
Topic(s):                                              Component(s):
Coronavirus                                            USAO - Maryland
Financial Fraud
Identity Theft                                         Contact:
                                                       Marcia Lubin (410) 209-4854


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