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Postal Employee Pleads Guilty to Pandemic Relief Program Fraud (Press Release, December 5, 2024)

Summary

A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, dated Thursday, December 5, 2024, announcing that Myaika Gross, of Denham Springs, Louisiana, pled guilty to wire fraud before U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles. According to admissions made as part of the plea, Gross worked as a United States Postal Employee in Louisiana between May of 2020 and June of 2021 while applying for Pandemic Unemployment benefits in five different states. Gross also applied for and received a Paycheck Protection Program loan using fraudulent information. In total, Gross took $65,928 in pandemic funds.

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“Postal Employee Pleads Guilty to Pandemic Relief Program Fraud (Press Release, December 5, 2024).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2024-12-13-postal-employee-pleads-guilty-to-pandemic-relief-program-fr-480a6fea66/, SHA-256 eed964057ae943736ea7fb08911e88044c99892f8707e45251f98372b7b79e88.

Full text

PRESS RELEASE


Postal Employee Pleads Guilty to
Pandemic Relief Program Fraud
Thursday, December 5, 2024

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

United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that Myaika Gross, age 40, of
Denham Springs, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles to
wire fraud in connection with her defrauding of the COVID-19 relief programs.

According to admissions made as part of her guilty plea, Gross worked as a United
States Postal Employee in Louisiana between May of 2020 and June of 2021. Yet, during
that time period she applied for Pandemic Unemployment benefits in five different
states (California, Kansas, Indiana, Colorado and Louisiana), claiming she worked in each
and had been laid off for COVID-19 related reasons. Additionally, Gross applied for and
received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan using fraudulent information during
this time frame. In total, Gross took $65,928 in pandemic funds she was not entitled to
receive.

This matter is being investigated by the United States Postal Service-Office of Inspector
General, and the United States Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, and is
being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica M.P. Thornhill, who also
serves as the Deputy Chief of the Economic Crime Unit.

Anyone with information about allegations of pandemic fraud can report it by calling
the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-
5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-
disaster-complaint-form.

Updated December 5, 2024

Topics
CORONAVIRUS

DISASTER FRAUD
Component
USAO - Louisiana, Middle


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