Luzerne County Man Charged With Pandemic Fraud Offenses (U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania, April 1, 2026)

Summary

Press release of April 1, 2026 from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. George Moses, 45, of Wilkes-Barre, was indicted by a federal grand jury on wire fraud, mail fraud and bank fraud charges. The indictment alleges that he falsely claimed income from several businesses in 2019 and 2020 on applications for unemployment compensation, pandemic unemployment compensation, Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program benefits, receiving $134,083.88. It also alleges that he wrote checks to himself on closed or underfunded accounts, causing losses of about $11,656.90 to financial institutions.

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PRESS RELEASE

Luzerne County Man Charged With Pandemic Fraud Offenses

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

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

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
announced that George Moses, age 45, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was indicted
yesterday by a federal grand jury on wire fraud, mail fraud, and bank fraud charges.

According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Moses
submitted applications for unemployment compensation, pandemic unemployment
compensation, economic injury disaster loan, and paycheck protection program loan
benefits falsely representing that he had qualifying income from the operation of
multiple businesses in 2019 and 2020. Based upon the false representations, Moses is
alleged to have received benefits totaling $134,083.88. The indictment further alleges
that during the same time-period, Moses orchestrated a bank fraud scheme, writing
checks to himself from financial institution accounts which had been closed or did not
maintain sufficient funds, and then depositing those checks, causing total losses of
approximately $11,656.90 to financial institutions.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor &
industry (PA DLI) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah R. Lloyd is
prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division's efforts to combat fraud related to the
COVID19 pandemic, particularly with respect to the resources made available by
Congress through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for
programs including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury
Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, and the Provider Relief Fund.

The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is 30 years of imprisonment,
a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following
the finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal
sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are
presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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Updated April 1, 2026

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File: 2026-04-03-Luzerne-County-Man-Charged-with-Pandemic-Fraud-Offenses-USAO-MD-PA-04-01-2026.pdf
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Our copy: 2026-04-03-Luzerne-County-Man-Charged-with-Pandemic-Fraud-Offenses-USAO-MD-PA-04-01-2026.pdf
Original: www.oig.dol.gov