Man Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison for Stealing over $197,000 in Coronavirus Aid and Relief Funds

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana dated May 3, 2023. It announces that Daniel Jibunor was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson to 3 years in federal prison, 1 year of supervision and $197,613 in restitution after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. According to court documents, the release states, on September 11, 2020, Jibunor tried to buy $1,850 in money orders at a Kroger in Bloomington with a fake debit card, and police found unemployment debit cards in the names of real people, approximately $12,980 in cash and 21 money orders totaling $19,540. It states that the conduct caused at least $197,613 in losses to unemployment offices in California, Arizona, Nevada and Illinois and the federal government.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

PRESS RELEASE



Man Sentenced to Three Years in
Federal Prison for Stealing over
$197,000 in Coronavirus Aid and
Relief Funds from Four States
Wednesday, May 3, 2023


For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS- Daniel Jibunor, 31, of Nigeria, has been sentenced to 3 years in federal
prison after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft and wire fraud for his role in
stealing over $197,000 in unemployment insurance funds the provided by the 2020
Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

According to court documents, on September 11, 2020, Jibunor used a fake debit card
under a fake name to try to purchase $1,850 in Western Union money orders at a Kroger
in Bloomington, Indiana. When a Kroger employee asked to see the bank card, Jibunor
attempted to give her a different bank card in his own name. Bloomington Police
Department officers were called to the scene. During their investigation, officers
searched Jibunor’s person and vehicle and located two fraudulently obtained
unemployment insurance debit cards, two fake debit cards, a GoBank Green Dot card,
approximately $12,980 in cash, and 21 money orders totaling $19,540.

The unemployment insurance debit cards Jibunor in the names of real people, including
at least ten victims whose stolen identities were used to file fraudulent unemployment
claims. Jibunor used the cards to purchase money orders from various businesses,
including Kroger, Walmart, and the U.S. Post Office, and to make ATM withdrawals.

During an interview with investigators, Jibunor admitted to using unemployment debit
cards to obtain money orders for another individual he would not identify. Jibunor
possessed payment cards loaded with approximately $161,511 in unemployment
insurance funds stolen from California and Nevada. In addition, the GoBank Green Dot
card was loaded with unemployment insurance funds stolen from the programs in
Arizona and Illinois, as well as $36,102 in fraud proceeds associated with an Economic
Injury Disaster Loan.

In sum, Jibunor’ s criminal conduct resulted in at least $197,613 in actual losses to
unemployment offices in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Illinois as well as the federal
government.

“At the height of the global pandemic, this defendant decided to steal emergency funds
intended to be a vital lifeline for families in need,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney
for the Southern District of Indiana. “Stealing identities and relief money during a
disaster is a despicable crime that merits serious punishment. The federal prison
sentence imposed today demonstrates that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law
enforcement partners are committed to finding the criminals who have defrauded
COVID-19 emergency response programs and holding them accountable.”

“Daniel Jibunor defrauded the state workforce agencies of Arizona, California, Illinois,
and Nevada by participating in a conspiracy to file fraudulent unemployment insurance
(UI) claims in the names of identity theft victims. Jibunor stole benefits intended to assist
those who became unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue
working with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the UI system
from those who exploit these benefit programs,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent in
Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

“Those who profit off programs meant to help others in need is unacceptable. This
sentence illustrates the FBI’s commitment to combating unemployment fraud,” said FBI
Indianapolis Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert “Alex” Middleton. “Along with our
law enforcement partners, we will continue to aggressively identify and pursue
fraudsters who steal money and hold them accountable.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States
Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and the Bloomington Police
Department. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Jane Magnus-
Stinson. Judge Stinson also ordered that Jibunor pay $197,613 in restitution and be
supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 1 year following his release from federal
prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Kyle M. Sawa, who
prosecuted this case.

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 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

                                          ###
Updated May 3, 2023

Topic
DISASTER FRAUD
Component
USAO - Indiana, Southern


File and source

File

2023-05-08-Man-Sentenced-to-Three-Years-in-Federal-Prison-for-Stealing-over-197-000-in-Coronavirus-Aid-and-Rel.pdf

Size

118,998 bytes

SHA-256

ddd01d22fd96bb8ef290200c50c539ceb79b484f6c021549801b72a4d03b7a51

Our copy

2023-05-08-Man-Sentenced-to-Three-Years-in-Federal-Prison-for-Stealing-over-197-000-in-Coronavirus-Aid-and-Rel.pdf

Original

No public link identified.