Factual Proffer — U.S. v. Lindsley Chambers Jr (S.D. Fla.)
Summary
A factual proffer in United States v. Lindsley Chambers Jr, Case No. 0:25-cr-60273-PCH, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, entered on the docket March 19, 2026 as Document 163. The parties stipulate that the defendant agreed with co-defendants and others to obtain pandemic UI benefits from CA-EDD using stolen identities and counterfeit IDs paid out through Bank of America debit accounts. It states the co-conspirators filed applications on behalf of at least 146 identity theft victims, CA-EDD paid approximately $2,095,831, and approximately $1,670,954 was withdrawn or received. The defendant's role included the online identity verification step, using approximately 1,934 images of the defendant's face, and at least 28 ATM withdrawals. It sets intended loss at greater than $1,500,000 and less than $3,500,000.
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Cite this document
“Factual Proffer — U.S. v. Lindsley Chambers Jr (S.D. Fla.).”
Original at archive.org. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/court-filing-no-0-25-cr-60273-dkt-163-s-d-fla-9e3b27df97/
, SHA-256 97b6b4e3a31b9812437ceeff2cbf9e3cdc273f25b3c14cc7b2e61a85ed432ec6.Full text
Case 0:25-cr-60273-PCH Document 163 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/19/2026 Page 1 of 8
U M TED STATES D ISTRICT CO UX T
SO U TH ERN DISTRICT O F FLOR IDA
CA SE N O .25-CR-60273-H UCK
IJM TED STATES OF AM ERICA
VS.
LM SLEY CH AM BERS JRN
D efendant.
/
FACTUAL PRO FFER
n e United States of America and LINDSLEY CHAM RERS .
1R (hereinaher,
tr efendanf')herebystipulateandagreethat,werethiscasetoproceedtotrial,theUnitedSltes
would prove beyond a reasonable doubtthe following facts,am ong others,which occurred in
Broward Colm ty,in the Southern D istrictof Florida,and elsewhere,ata11tim es m aterialto the
Indice ent:
Bacu round
Bank ofAmerica,N.A.(çtBrmk ofAmerica'')wœs a fmancialinstitution whose
accountswereinsuredbytheFederalDepositInsumnceComoration(TDlC'').
2. UnemploymentInstlrance(ççUr')wasajointstateandfederalpropam thatprovided
m onetarybeneftsto eligiblebenefcimies. Ulbenestswereintended to providetemporary fm ancial
mssistanceto law fulworkerswho weretm em ployed through no faultoftheirown.
Beginning in or around M arch 2020,in response to the COV1D-19 pandem ic,the
CoronavH sAid,Relief and Econonlic Security (CARES)Actof2020 created severalfederal
program s, hzcluding the Pandem ic Unem plom ent A ssistance Program , Fedem l Pandem ic
Unemplom ent Compeasation, and the Lost W ages Assistance Program , which expanded tJ1
Case 0:25-cr-60273-PCH Document 163 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/19/2026 Page 2 of 8
eligibility and increased U1benefitsto individualswho wereunem ployed becatlse ofthe COV1D-19
pandemicrTandemicU1Benefits'l.
4. n eCalifomiaEmploymentDevelopmentDeparM ent(SECA-EDD'')wmsan agency
oftheStateofCalifom iathatndm inisteredU 1benefhsforresidentsofCalifom iaaincluding Pandemic
U1Benefts. Persons applying forU1benestsin California,including Pandem ic U1Benefits,w ere
required to reside in the State ofCalifom ia and subm itto CA -EDD an application forthe benefts.
ApplicationsforPandem icU1Benefitsw ere subm itted online.
A claim antforPandem icU1Beneûtswasrequired to answ ervariousquestionson the
claim ant'sapplication to establish the claim ant'seligibility forthebenefts.Am ong otherthings,the
claimantwasrequiredtoprovidepersonallyidentifableinformation(<TIr'),includingtheclaimant's
name,dateofbirth,andsocialsecuritynumber,andcertifytoCA-EDD tmderpenaltyofperjtuythat
theCOV m -19 pandem ichad directly and adversely afrected theclaim ant'sem ploym ent.Claim ants
applgngforPandemicU1Beneftsdidnotneedto subnaitanysuppoe gdocumentstoCA-EDD
withtheirapplications.Individualswhowereemploye; retired,orincarceratedwerenoteligiblefor
Ul benefits,including Pandem ic U1 Benetits. R'he CA -EDD relied upon the information in the
application to determinethe claim ant'seligibility forbenests.
6. A dditionally,to successfully f1eaclaim forPandem ic1J1Beneftswith CA -EDD ,the
claimanthadtopassanidentityverificationprovidedbyD .me,Inc.(ççD .me''),athird-partyonline
identity veriscation service.n em .m e.identity veriscation processrequired theclaimantto provide
the claim ant'sPII,agovem m ent-issued form ofidentifcation,and aselfiephotograph taken in real-
tim e. During theD .m e identity verifcation process,a textm essage was sentto the phone num ber
provided by the applicantthat contained a link thatallowed the claim antto provide the required
photon ph ofthe claim ant's governm ent-issued form of identification and take a real-tim e selfe
2
Case 0:25-cr-60273-PCH Document 163 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/19/2026 Page 3 of 8
photopaph.m .me'sfacialrecoo tionsohwarewasthenusedtocomparetheapplicant'sreal-time
selsephotop aph w1t1:thephotov aph on theclnim ant'sgovernm ent-issued form ofidentification.
lf CA -EDD approved an application and granted Pandem ic U1 Benefts to the
claimant,Bank ofAmericacreated aprepaid debitaccotmtintheclaimant'sname(<CBOA Debit
Accounf')intowhichCA-EDD depositedtheclaimant'sPandemicU1Benefts.n ePandemicU1
Benefitsdeposited in the BOA DebitA ccountwerem oneysand ftmdstmderthe ctlstody and contol
ofBallk ofAm erica.
8. To accessthePandem ic U1Benefitsthatwere deposited in the BOA DebitA ccount,
BnnkofAmericaissuedadebitcard($$BOA DebitCard'')inthenameoftheclaimantthatwaslinked
to the claim ant's BOA Debit Accotmt containing the m oney and funds 9om the Pandem ic U1
Benefits. Bank ofAm erica m ailed the BOA DebitCard to an addressprovided by the claim antand
could be activated by telephone or online. Once activatedathe BOA D ebitCard could be used to
withdraw Pandem ic U1Benefts âom the BOA D ebitAccountin the form ofcash dispensed 9om
automatedtellermachines(tWTMs''),includingATM SthatBankofAmericaoperated.TheBOA
DebitCardscould also be used to m ake purchasesby debiting the claim ant'sPandem ic U1Benefts
9om the BOA DebitAccountin point-of-saletm ngactions.
9. VisaDebtProcessing Solutions(tç
visaDPS'')wmsavendorcon% ctedbyBank of
Am ericatoprocessa1lkansactionson Ulprepaid debitcards,including thoseissuedby theCA -EDD .
V isaDPS had two platform processordatacentersthathoused a11oftheU1prepaid card dataforBnnk
ofAmerica. n ose(1a1 centerswerelocated inAshbum Virginiaand 111g111m11 Ranch,Colorado.
Any kansaction m adeon aBimk ofAm ericaU1prepaiddebitcard,including londing offunds,point-
of-saletansactions,and A TM w ithdraw als,p% sed through one ofthosetwo (1a1 processorcenters.
Case 0:25-cr-60273-PCH Document 163 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/19/2026 Page 4 of 8
The Conspiracv
10. From in and around Septem ber2020,and continuing through in or arotm d M ay
2022,Defendsntagreed w ith co-defendantsRobertM cKinley Thom as,Justin Anthony Seivright,
Tacaveon Travon Carson,Phillip M ichaelValcin Jr.,Brandon Jerom e Snider,Patrick M arquis
AytonJr.CW yton''),andothers,toaccomplishacommonandunlawfulplantocommitbankgaud
and w ire fraud. The purpose ofthe Im law fulplan wms for Defendsntand his co-conspirators to
enrich them selves by fraudulently obtaining U Ibenefits,including Pandem ic U 1Benefits,from
CA-EDD that were under the custody and controlof financial institutions,including Bank of
America.Defendlmtknew theunlawfulpurposeoftheplanandwillfullyjoinedinit.
Defendant and his co-conspirators carried out the conspiracy in m lzltiple steps,
including,butnotlim ited to,the follow ing:
a. One or m ore co-conspirators obtained without lawful authority P1I of
victimsofidentitytheftCçldentityTheA Victimsn),includingnnmes,dates
ofbirth,and socialsecurity nllm bers.
b. One orm ore co-conspirators created counterfeitdriver licenses and other
fictitious forms of identifkation (collectively, çfounterfeit IDs'') by
com bining tmlawfully obtained P11 of Identity TheA Victim s and
photov aphs of co-conspirators, including Chnmbers and co-defendsnt
Thom as.
One orm ore co-conspirators subm itted and caused the subm ission offalse
and gaudulentapplicationsto CA-EDD forPandem icU1Benefitsusing the
unlaw fully obtained Pll and Cotm terfeit ID s. n ese applications were
4
Case 0:25-cr-60273-PCH Document 163 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/19/2026 Page 5 of 8
submitted online and caused infonnation to be transmitted by wire in
interstate com m erce.
d. W hen prom pted to verify the identity ofthe purported applicantthrough
ID .m e, D efendant and one or m ore co-conspirators subm itted for
com pmison a real-tim e selfie photov aph of D efendant's face and a
photov aph ofa Colm terfeitID bearing a picture ofD efendant's face and
PIIofthepurportedapplicant(i.e.,anIdentityTheftVictim).
e. D efendantand his co-conspirators possessed and used BOA Debit Cards
issued in the nam es of ldentity '
rheA V ictim s to fraudulently access and
receive Pandem ic Ul Benefits,in the form ofm oney and ftm dstm derthe
custody and controlof Bank ofAm erica,by m aking cash withdraw als at
A TM Sand debitpurchase.
In total during the conspiracy, the co-conspirators subm itted and caused the
subm ission offalseapd gaudulentapplicationsto CA-EDD forPandemic1J1Beneftson behalf
ofatlemst146 unique ldentity TheftVictim s.A saresultofthesefalseand gaudulentapplications,
the co-conspirators caused CA-EDD to pay Pandem ic U1 Benetksin the approxim ate am ountof
$2,095,831,which CA-EDD disbursedto BOA DebitAccountstmderthecustody and conkolof
Bnnk ofAm erica.Ofthisam olm t,Defendantandhisco-conspiratorsunlaw fully withdrew in cash,
andotherwisetmlawfullyreceived,approxim ately$1,670,954 offraudulentPandemicUlBenefits.
D efendant'sRole in the Conspiracv
13. Defendant's role in the conspiracy included,nm ong other things,participating in
the ID .m e identity verification com ponentofthe CA -ED D application process forPandem ic U1
Benefits. Thisinvolved D efendantand his co-conspiratorstaking pictures ofD efendnnt'sface to
5
Case 0:25-cr-60273-PCH Document 163 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/19/2026 Page 6 of 8
createCounterfeitD s(whichpurportedtobetheidentitkationoftheapplicantforPandemicU1
Benefits)and submitting real-timephotographsofDefendant'sfaceforcomparison againstthe
CounterfeitID to dupe theidentity veritk ation. Approxim ately 1,934 im agesofD efendant'sface
wereused in connection w ith theID .m e identity verification com ponentforCA-EDD applications
forPandem ic UIBenetits.
14. A dditionally,Defendantm ade cash withdraw alsofgaudulently obtained Pandem ic
U1BeneûtsatBrm k ofAm erica ATM S in Broward County using BOA DebitCardsissued in the
nam esofIdentity TheA Victim s. A TM surveillance photographs show that,from approxim ately
April 19, 2021 through Septem ber 16, 2021, Defendant m ade at least 28 w ithdraw als of
fraudulently obtained Pandem ic UIBeneftsatBank ofAm erica ATM Sin Broward Cotmty using
BOA DebitCards issued to atleast8 tmique ldentity TheR V ictim s. Severalofthe BOA Debit
Cards that Defendantused were also used by co-defendants to m ake w ithdrawals of fraudulent
Pandem ic UIBenefits.
15. In particular,on August25,2021,atapproxim ately 2:47 p.m .,during and in relation
to a felony violation ofTitle 18,United States Code,Section 1344 ('
bank H ud),Defendant
knowingly possessed and used without law ful authority the m eans of identifk ation of another
person. n atis,Defendantpossessed and used the BOA VisaD ebitCard ending nllm ber9454 of
R.S.,anIdentity'rheR Victim ,towithdraw $1,000offraudulently obtainedPandem icUlBenefits
from a Bank of A m erica ATM located in Lauderdale Lakes,Florida. R .S.did not 5le any
application for any U1 benefits w ith CA-EDD ,did notgive anyone perm ission to file for U l
benelitsw ith CA -EDD ,did notprovide orauthorize hisPl1to bepossessed orused by Defendant
for any purpose,and did notknow Defendsnt or anyone else used R.S.'S identity to file forU l
benetks and withdraw fraudulentUIbenefits.
6
Case 0:25-cr-60273-PCH Document 163 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/19/2026 Page 7 of 8
16. A sa resultofD efendant's ow n conductin the conspiracy,and the conductofhis
co-conspiratorsreasonably foreseeable to him ,Defendsntis responsible forcausing an intended
lossgreaterthan $1,500,000 and lessthan $3,500,000.
LRemainderofpageIntentionallyBlankj
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Case 0:25-cr-60273-PCH Document 163 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/19/2026 Page 8 of 8
n e United States and D efend= tagree thatthese facts,which do notinclude al1
factsknow n to theUnited Statesand Defendant,are suffcientto provebeyond areasonabledoubt
the elem en? ofconspiracy to com m itbank fraud and w ire fraud,in violation ofTitle 18,U nited
States Code,Section 1349,ms charged in Cotmt 1,and agp avated identity theA,in violation of
Title 18,United StatesCode,Section 1028A ,ascharged in Count42,and thatD efendantisin fact
guilty ofthose offenses.
JASON A.REDING QUIKONES
UNITED STATES TTOM EY
Date.
. l By:
V -
DA V A.SN D E
A SSIST N T > 1 D STATES ATTORN EY
I
7at
e:>ht%-
*l N DA VID A . O , .
A TTORN EY FOR D END ANT
Date: /
LPWDSLEY CHA= ERS 'R
D EFEND AN T
8
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