Air Force Police Officer Convicted of over $150,000 in Unemployment Insurance Fraud During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Summary

A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California dated Monday, March 4, 2024, announcing that Trevon Miller, 31, a former Air Force Police Officer at Edwards Air Force Base, pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges over unemployment insurance claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the release, between April 2020 and June 2020 he submitted claims in several states under his former name of Trevon Rodney, stating that he was unemployed when he was an active-duty Air Force Police Officer the whole time. It states that the claims were worth more than $150,000, paid onto debit cards mailed to him, and that he is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17, 2024. It was announced by U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.

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Press Release

Air Force Police Officer Convicted of over $150,000 in Unemployment Insurance Fraud During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Monday, March 4, 2024

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California

FRESNO, Calif. — Trevon Miller, 31, a former Air Force Police Officer at Edwards Air Force Base, pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges today for submitting fraudulent unemployment insurance claims during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between April 2020 and June 2020, Miller submitted fraudulent claims in several states using his former name of Trevon Rodney. Miller told the state agencies that administer the unemployment insurance system that he was unemployed when he was an active-duty Air Force Police Officer the whole time. The claims were worth more than $150,000 and the money was put onto debit cards that were mailed to Miller.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Arelis Clemente are prosecuting the case.

Miller is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Miller faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is part of the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force, which is one of the interagency COVID-19 fraud strike forces established by the U.S. Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California, and focuses on large-scale, multistate, and egregious pandemic relief fraud. The strike force uses prosecutor-led, and data analyst-driven, teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief money.

Updated March 4, 2024

Topics

Coronavirus

Financial Fraud

Component

USAO - California, Eastern

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