Attorney General Kris Mayes Announces Sentencing in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Fraud Case

Summary

A press release from the Arizona Attorney General dated April 11, 2023. It announces that Attorney General Kris Mayes's office obtained sentences in Maricopa County Superior Court for Daniel Lucero and Makallyn Hunt on Theft and Aggravated Taking the Identity of Another charges. Lucero, who pleaded guilty on February 24, 2023, was sentenced to 7 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, and Hunt, who pleaded guilty on January 20, 2023, to 1.5 years, each followed by probation. Both were ordered to pay $46,741 to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and $181,746 to the Arizona Department of Economic Security. According to the release, the indictment alleged that the pair broke into mailboxes in Arizona and Colorado and used victims' identities to apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

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“Attorney General Kris Mayes Announces Sentencing in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Fraud Case.” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2023-04-20-attorney-general-kris-mayes-announces-sentencing-in-pandemi-015b571623/, SHA-256 972ce9dfa8004524274fede0907b1a48a0520ed63a2bcfffb2af7256fb9907da.

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Arizona Attorney General

Attorney General Kris Mayes Announces Sentencing
in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Fraud Case

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

PHOENIX–Attorney General Kris Mayes today announced that Daniel Lucero, age 34, and Makallyn
Hunt, age 22, were sentenced in Maricopa County Superior Court on Theft and Aggravated Taking
the Identity of Another charges. Lucero had entered a guilty plea on February 24, 2023, to one count
of Theft, a class 2 felony, and one count of Aggravated Taking the Identity of Another, a class 3
felony, and was sentenced to 7 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections to be followed by a
period of probation with white collar terms.

Hunt had entered a guilty plea on January 20, 2023, to one count of Theft, a class 5 felony, and one
count of Aggravated Taking the Identity of Another, a class 3 felony, and was sentenced to 1.5 years
in the Arizona Department of Corrections to be followed by a period of probation with white collar
terms. Both were also ordered to pay $46,741 to the Colorado Department of Labor and
Employment and $181,746 to the Arizona Department of Economic Security.

"The sentencing of Lucero and Hunt underscores my office's commitment to protecting the interests
of taxpayers and vulnerable communities," said Attorney General Mayes. “Misusing the identities of
elderly individuals to fraudulently collect benefits is unacceptable. Those engaging in fraud are on
notice that my office will investigate and prosecute these crimes to the fullest extent of the law."

"Daniel Lucero and Makallyn Hunt misused the identities of others to collect Pandemic
Unemployment Assistance fraudulently. These benefits were intended to assist those who
experienced unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This sentencing illustrates that
individuals who engage in unemployment insurance fraud will be held accountable. We will continue
to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate those who exploit the Pandemic
Unemployment Assistance program," said Quentin Heiden, Special Agent-in-Charge, Western
Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

The indictment alleged that Lucero and Hunt broke into hundreds of mailboxes throughout Arizona
and Colorado and used their victims' identities to apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
payments. Through a joint investigation by the Glendale Police Department and the United States
Office of Inspector General – Department of Labor, the couple was apprehended and found with
thousands of personal identifying information and dozens of fraudulently acquired prepaid debit
cards. The victims in this investigation included hundreds of elderly individuals unaware that their
identities were used to apply for federally funded state assistance monies.

Assistant Attorney General Richard Baek prosecuted the case.

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