Illinois Man Admits Stealing Unemployment Insurance Benefits while Incarcerated
Summary
Devontae Stokes, 27, of Country Club Hills, Illinois, pleaded guilty on April 7, 2022 before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to conspiring to commit wire fraud by using other people's identities to obtain unemployment insurance benefits while incarcerated, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger of New Jersey announced. Between August 2020 and November 2020, while Stokes was incarcerated at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey, Stokes and conspirators obtained names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of other individuals without their knowledge and consent. They used the information to file fraudulent unemployment insurance applications and obtained more than $140,000 in benefits. The charge carries up to 20 years in prison; sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 23, 2022.
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Press Release Illinois Man Admits Stealing Unemployment Insurance Benefits while Incarcerated Thursday, April 7, 2022 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey NEWARK, N.J. – An Illinois man today admitted that he used other individuals’ personal identification information to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits while he was incarcerated, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Devontae Stokes, 27, of Country Club Hills, Illinois, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an information charging him with conspiring to commit wire fraud. According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court: On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law. The CARES Act created a new temporary federal unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provided unemployment insurance benefits for individuals who were not eligible for other types of unemployment (e.g., the self-employed, independent contractors, gig economy workers). The CARES Act also created a new temporary federal program called Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (FPUC) that provided an additional weekly benefit to those eligible for PUA and regular unemployment insurance benefits. Between August 2020 and November 2020, Stokes was incarcerated at FCI Fort Dix, a federal correctional institutional with an adjacent satellite camp located in Fort Dix, New Jersey. Stokes and his conspirators obtained personal identification information (PII), including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers belonging to other individuals without those individuals’ knowledge and consent. Stokes and his conspirators then used the PII to make fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits applications and obtained more than $140,000 in benefits. The charge of conspiring to commit wire fraud is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000, twice the gross profits to Stokes or twice the gross loss suffered by the victims, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 23, 2022. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, in New York; special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr., in Newark; and special agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina, in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Cybercrime Unit in Newark. Updated April 7, 2022 Topic COVID-Related Fraud Component USAO - New Jersey Press Release Number: 22-129 Related Content Press Release Morris County Company Settles Matter Alleging it Received Improper Paycheck Protection Program Loan A Morris County tour company entered into a settlement agreement with the United States resolving allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act by applying for and receiving two... December 15, 2025 Press Release Title Company Owner and Real Estate Investor Admit Mortgage Fraud, COVID-19 Relief Program Fraud Schemes Two New Jersey residents admitted participating in a multimillion dollar mortgage fraud scheme and one of the individuals also admitted fraudulently obtaining more than $1.8 million of federal Economic Injury... November 24, 2025 Press Release New Jersey Tax Preparer Convicted for $170 Million COVID-19 Tax Credit Scheme A New Jersey tax preparer was found guilty by a jury for his scheme seeking more than $170 million in fraudulent tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) by... November 19, 2025
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