Pennsylvania Man Sentenced To Over 4 Years in Federal Prison

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan, dated May 1, 2024, announcing that United States District Judge Matthew F. Leitman sentenced Adrian Fluellen of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to 51 months in prison and ordered more than $900,000 in restitution. Fluellen pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in February 2024. The release states that Fluellen and a co-defendant used stolen personal identification to file hundreds of false unemployment claims in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland and received Bank of America prepaid debit cards loaded with roughly $1 million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds. It states that more than $930,000 was unloaded from the cards. The release quotes United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison and officials of the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Labor inspector general.

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



Pennsylvania Man Sentenced To
Over 4 Years in Federal Prison For
Participating In Multi-State
Pandemic Unemployment Insurance
Fraud Scheme
Wednesday, May 1, 2024


For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan

DETROIT - A man from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was sentenced yesterday for his role in
a multi-state, million-dollar unemployment insurance fraud scheme aimed at defrauding
the U.S. Government and the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, of funds
earmarked for unemployment assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced
United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.

Joining in the announcement were Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson, Federal
Bureau of Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller, Internal Revenue
Service-Criminal Investigation, and Irene Lindow, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago
Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

Adrian Fluellen, 29, was sentenced to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay more than
$900,000 in restitution in the sentence handed down by United States District Judge
Matthew F. Leitman.

According to court records, Fluellen and a co-defendant conspired to, and did, defraud
the federal government and the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland of
roughly $1 million in funds intended to support individuals who had lost their jobs
during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pair committed their crimes through the use of
interstate wires and the unauthorized possession and use of social security numbers and
other means of identification belonging to other individuals.
Fluellen pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in February
2024.

Fluellen and his co-defendant, using stolen personal identification, filed hundreds of
false unemployment claims with state unemployment insurance agencies in Michigan,
Pennsylvania, and Maryland in the names of other individuals without their knowledge
or consent. The defendants then received hundreds of Bank of America prepaid debit
cards in the names of those individuals loaded with roughly $1 million in Pandemic
Unemployment Assistance funds at addresses in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Fluellen,
his co-defendant, and their accomplices then successfully unloaded more than $930,000
from the cards via cash withdrawals and purchases that included jewelry, drugs, at least
one vehicle, and at least one firearm.

“Taxpayer unemployment assistance funds diverted to the pockets of criminals during
the pandemic resulted in less money and fewer resources being available for those
genuinely in need at that challenging time” said U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison. “Along with
our law enforcement partners, our office will continue to work to hold individuals who
have committed and are committing such crimes of fraud, greed, and avarice
responsible. “

"This sentence underscores the FBI's commitment to investigating complex financial
crimes," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "We
will not tolerate the greed and selfish conduct demonstrated by those who chose to
defraud the unemployment insurance system, especially when we faced an
unprecedented global pandemic. The FBI and our federal partners remain steadfast in
holding criminals accountable and protecting government assistance programs. The
pandemic may be in our rearview mirrors, but our investigations continue to move
forward in the name of justice."

“Pandemic Unemployment assistance granted by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security (CARES) Act was meant to be a lifeline for those affected the most by
the global covid-19 pandemic, not as an unlimited well of funds for Adrian Fluellen,”
said Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal
Investigation (CI). “Not only did Mr. Fluellen defraud the US government, but he also
stole the identities of hundreds of victims, jeopardizing the personal security of
countless hard-working Americans. CI and our law enforcement partners are dedicated
to holding accountable those who intend to game the system to feed their own
unchecked greed.”

"Adrian Fluellen defrauded multiple state workforce agencies by using stolen identities
to obtain unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. We will continue to work with our law
enforcement and state workforce agency partners to protect the integrity of these
critical benefit programs," said Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes
Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carl D. Gilmer-Hill and
Jessica A. Nathan. The investigation was conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and Department of
Labor, Office of Inspector General.

Updated May 1, 2024

Topic
CORONAVIRUS


Component
USAO - Michigan, Eastern


File and source

File

2024-05-09-Pennsylvania-Man-Sentenced-To-Over-4-Years-in-Federal-Prison-For-Participating-In-Multi-State-Pande.pdf

Size

502,359 bytes

SHA-256

fec341c7896249ad3be2c04a4a069eeb418d6678a23ed0c724d02a5e58b636fc

Our copy

2024-05-09-Pennsylvania-Man-Sentenced-To-Over-4-Years-in-Federal-Prison-For-Participating-In-Multi-State-Pande.pdf

Original

No public link identified.