Two Defendants Plead Guilty To COVID-19 Fraud
Summary
A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, dated Wednesday, December 14, 2022, announcing that Tatiana Benjamin pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and Heaven West pled guilty to wire fraud for defrauding New York City's COVID-19 Hotel Room Isolation Program. According to the Indictment, court filings and plea statements, from approximately April 2020 through July 2020 the two secured free rooms by falsely claiming to be a respiratory therapist and a hospital employee, respectively, and sold rooms to ineligible customers. The release states that co-defendant Chanette Lewis sold Benjamin, for $800, identifying information of at least five healthcare professionals. Benjamin agreed to forfeit $51,088 and pay restitution of $294,624; West agreed to forfeit $23,684 and pay restitution of $59,644.
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“Two Defendants Plead Guilty To COVID-19 Fraud.”
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Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Southern District of New York
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Two Defendants Plead Guilty To COVID-19 Fraud
Tatiana Benjamin and Heaven West Defrauded New York City’s COVID-19
Hotel Room Isolation Program
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that
TATIANA BENJAMIN and HEAVEN WEST pled guilty to defrauding New York City’s COVID-19
Hotel Room Isolation Program. BENJAMIN pled guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit wire
fraud, while WEST pled guilty today to wire fraud. Both defendants pled guilty before United States
Magistrate Judge James L. Cott. Both defendants’ case is assigned to United States District Judge
Lewis A. Kaplan.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As they admitted today, the defendants abused a program
designed to provide shelter to the sick and needy during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In
connection with the fraud, Tatiana Benjamin even purchased the personal identifying information of
several medical professionals. For their brazen misconduct, the defendants now face possible prison
time.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, court filings, and statements made during
plea proceedings:
From approximately April 2020 through July 2020, the defendants defrauded the COVID-19 Hotel
Room Isolation Program (the “Program”). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City
created the Program. Funded by New York City and the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
the Program provided free hotel rooms for qualifying individuals throughout New York City. The
Program was open to (a) healthcare workers who needed to isolate because of exposure to COVID-
19; (b) patients who had tested positive for COVID-19; (c) individuals who believed, based on their
symptoms, that they were infected with COVID-19; and (d) individuals who lived with someone who
contracted COVID-19. As stated on the City’s website describing the Program, such individuals “may
qualify to self-isolate in a hotel, free of charge, for up to 14 days if you do not have a safe place to self-
isolate.” Those who wished to book a hotel room through the Program could either call a phone
number or use an online hotel booking platform.
BENJAMIN and WEST defrauded the Program in several respects. First, BENJAMIN and WEST
each secured free Program hotel rooms for themselves by falsely claiming to be a respiratory
therapist and a hospital employee, respectively. Second, BENJAMIN and WEST each sold
fraudulently obtained hotel rooms to customers who were ineligible for the Program. Third,
BENJAMIN purchased inside information from co-defendant Chanette Lewis, who worked at a call
center that handled phone calls and certain reservations for the Program for several months in
2020. Lewis was hired specifically for the Program, which gave her access to legitimate healthcare
workers’ identifying information. Lewis sold BENJAMIN, for $800, personal identifying
information of at least five healthcare professionals, as well as certain “codes” to use when booking
hotel reservations through the Program, such as an employee ID number and license number.
BENJAMIN and WEST used Facebook to advertise the sale of fraudulently obtained Program hotel
rooms and to communicate directly with customers. For example, BENJAMIN told a Facebook user,
“Friend at 311 gave me the juice for the hotel so I been booking ppl rooms,” and when WEST was
asked whether she had “rooms” available, she replied, “Nah I dead don’t bro / All essential hotels are
clipped” and added, “They finding out we was scamming the system lol.”
* * *
BENJAMIN, 28, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud,
which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Under the terms of her plea agreement,
BENJAMIN has agreed to forfeit $51,088 and to pay restitution of $294,624.
WEST, 22, of Atlanta, Georgia, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum
sentence of 20 years in prison. Under the terms of her plea agreement, WEST has agreed to forfeit
$23,684 and to pay restitution of $59,644.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for
informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the
judge. The defendants are both scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kaplan on May 18, 2023, at 3:00
p.m.
Two co-defendants previously pled guilty: Tatiana Daniel previously pled guilty to conspiracy to
commit wire fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kaplan on March 29, 2023, at 2:30
p.m. Chanette Lewis previously pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and is
scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kaplan on May 18, 2023, at 3:00 p.m.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding efforts of agents, investigators, and analysts from the New
York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), DOI - NYCHA Office of the Inspector General, the
New York Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (“DOL-
OIG”), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Williams also
thanked the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Intelligence Analysts for
their support and assistance in this investigation. He also expressed gratitude to the New York City
Police Department, the New York State Department of Labor, and the DOL-OIG Atlanta Regional
Office for their assistance.
This matter is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S.
Attorney Michael D. Neff is in charge of the prosecution.
Topic(s):
Coronavirus
Component(s):
USAO - New York, Southern
Contact:
Nicholas Biase (212) 637-2600
Press Release Number:
22-392
Updated December 14, 2022
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