Florida Man Facing Federal Charges For Covid-19 Unemployment Insurance Fraud In Maryland And California

Summary

A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, dated Monday, June 3, 2024, announcing an indictment charging David Godin, also known as James St Patrick, David Wetty and Vic Pro, with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The charges concern unemployment insurance claims filed with the Maryland Department of Labor and the California Employment Development Department during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the indictment, beginning in June 2020 Godin created disposable email addresses and used them to file fraudulent UI claims containing the personal identifiable information of identity theft victims from Maryland, California, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi and Washington, D.C. The release states that Godin was arrested in Florida and had an initial appearance in Miami, and that an indictment is not a finding of guilt.

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Full text

PRESS RELEASE



Florida Man Facing Federal
Charges For Covid-19
Unemployment Insurance Fraud In
Maryland And California
Monday, June 3, 2024

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

Defendant is Alleged to have Defrauded Maryland and California
State Unemployment Insurance Programs by Using Stolen
Identities of Victims in Maryland, California, Florida, Illinois,
Mississippi and Washington, D.C.

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging David
Godin, a/k/a “James St Patrick,” a/k/a “David Wetty,” a/k/a “Vic Pro” for wire fraud and
aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme to defraud the Maryland
Department of Labor (“MD-DOL”) and California Employment Development Department
(CA-EDD”) of unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier today, Godin was arrested by law enforcement in Florida and had his initial
appearance in the U.S. District Court in Miami, Florida.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland
Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the National Capital Region,
U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (“DOL-OIG”), and Special Agent
in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation,
Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to the indictment, beginning in June 2020, Godin created disposable email
addresses and used them to file fraudulent UI claims with the MD-DOL and CA-
EDD. The UI claims contained false and fraudulent information and contained the
personal identifiable information of identity theft victims from Maryland, California,
Florida, Illinois, Mississippi and Washington, D.C.

If convicted, Godin faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each
count of wire fraud and a consecutive term of 2 years’ imprisonment for aggravated
identity theft. Furthermore, if convicted, Godin must forfeit any property derived from
the scheme to defraud to the United States.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A
federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S.
Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. An indictment is not a finding of
guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until
proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed
innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

This case is part of the District of Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force, a Strike Force that is
one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S.
Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud
relating to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. The CARES
Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the
economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike forces focus on large-
scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and
transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using
prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice
those who stole pandemic relief funds.

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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DOL-OIG, and IRS-CI for their
work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Bijon A. Mostoufi,
who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources
available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-
md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

                                          ###



Contact
USAMD.Press@usdoj.gov

Updated June 3, 2024

Topics
CORONAVIRUS

DISASTER FRAUD

IDENTITY THEFT
Component
USAO - Maryland


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