Burtonsville Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Unemployment Insurance Fraud Charges

Summary

A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland dated Tuesday, December 23, 2025. It announces that Vanessa Valdez, 42, of Burtonsville, Maryland, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with unemployment insurance fraud. U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes announced the plea with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations. According to the release, from at least May 2020 through at least September 2021 Valdez and others used other people's personal identifying information to submit false claims to the Maryland Department of Labor for CARES Act unemployment benefits. She faces up to 22 years in federal prison, including a mandatory two years, consecutive to any other sentence, for aggravated identity theft.

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PRESS RELEASE


Burtonsville Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal
Unemployment Insurance Fraud Charges
Tuesday, December 23, 2025

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


Baltimore, Maryland – Vanessa Valdez, 42, of Burtonsville, Maryland, pled guilty to
conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with an
unemployment insurance (UI) fraud scheme.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with
Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, National Capital Region, U.S. Department of
Labor’s Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan
Campanella, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Maryland.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act — a federal law enacted
in March 2020 — provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from
the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also authorized increased UI
benefits.

According to public documents, beginning in at least May 2020, and continuing through
at least September 2021, Valdez, and other co-conspirators, engaged in a conspiracy
and scheme to defraud and obtain money by means of materially false and fraudulent
pretenses, representations, and promises, in connection with an UI fraud scheme.

Specifically, Valdez and her co-conspirators used personal identifiable information (PII)
of others to submit false and fraudulent claims to the Maryland Department of Labor
(MD-DOL) for UI benefits. Valdez, along with her co-conspirators, then used the UI
benefits, which were designated to assist unemployed or underemployed persons due
to the COVID-19 national emergency, for their own personal enrichment.

As a part of her guilty plea, Valdez also admitted to fraudulently obtaining Paycheck
Protection Program (PPP) loan and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds.
Established by the CARES Act, the PPP — administered through the Small Business
Administration — along with the EIDL, helped businesses meet their financial
obligations. An EIDL advance does not have to be repaid, and small businesses can
receive an advance, even if they are not approved for an EIDL loan. The maximum
advance amount is $10,000.

Valdez faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in federal prison, including and a
mandatory two years, consecutive to any other imposed sentence, for aggravated
identity theft. A sentencing date is forthcoming.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DOL-OIG and HSI Maryland for their work in the
investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Motsay who
prosecuted the case.

The District of Maryland Strike Force 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 CARES Act. 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 that use
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.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and
resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-
md/community-outreach

                                          ###

Contact
Kevin Nash
USAMD.Press@usdoj.gov
410-209-4946

Updated December 23, 2025


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