Former Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty To COVID Fraud (Press Release, April 24, 2023)
Summary
A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York, dated Monday, April 24, 2023, announcing that Mohammad Fares, 28, formerly of Buffalo, convicted of theft of government property, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to three years supervised release, 200 hours of community service and restitution of approximately $43,000. According to the release, on May 18, 2020 Fares applied to the New York State Department of Labor for unemployment insurance benefits, stating that his workplace had closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while co-owning and managing a trucking company in Buffalo. The release states that Fares certified weekly through May 2, 2021 that he had not returned to work and received approximately $43,320 in benefits.
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“Former Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty To COVID Fraud (Press Release, April 24, 2023).”
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PRESS RELEASE
Former Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty
To COVID Fraud
Monday, April 24, 2023
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of New York
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Mohammad Fares, 28,
formerly of Buffalo, now of Florida, who was convicted of theft of government property,
was sentenced to serve to three years supervised release, perform 200 hours of
community service, and pay restitution of approximately $43,000 by U.S. District Judge
Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that on May 18,
2020, Fares submitted an online application to the New York State Department of Labor
for unemployment insurance benefits, stating that he did not work any day during the
week of May 18, 2020; that he did not have gross earnings over $504; that his last day of
work was March 21, 2020; and that his workplace had closed due to the COVID-19
pandemic. At the time, Fares co-owned a trucking company in Buffalo, for which he
managed truck drivers and coordinated shipments. On June 11, 2020, Fares received
$3,600 in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefits. Every week through
May 2, 2021, Fares certified to that he did not work during the prior week and had not
returned to work. In doing so, Fares certified his continued eligibility for Federal
Pandemic Unemployment Compensation and NYS Department of Labor unemployment
benefits. During this time period, Fares continued to manage the trucking company.
Fares received, in total, approximately $43,320 in unemployment benefits and Federal
Pandemic Unemployment Compensation.
The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide
emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the
economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It expands states’ ability to
provide unemployment insurance for many workers impacted by COVID-19, including
for workers who are not ordinarily eligible for benefits. The CARES Act provided for
three new UI programs: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA); Federal Pandemic
Unemployment Compensation (FPUC); and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment
Compensation (PEUC).
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
Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form
at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office
of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Labor Racketeering and Fraud, Northeast
Region, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge
Michael Stansbury.
####
Contact
Barbara Burns
716-843-5817
Updated April 24, 2023
Topic
CORONAVIRUS
Component
USAO - New York, Western
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