Texas Man Sentenced for COVID-19 Unemployment Fraud Scheme
Summary
A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico dated Wednesday, March 25, 2026, announcing that Marc Long, a Texas man, was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay $154,744 in restitution over COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment benefits. According to the release, which cites court records, between July 2020 and February 2021 he submitted online claims and weekly certifications to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions using other individuals' identifying information. The release states that the claims resulted in the theft of over $150,000 in federal unemployment relief funds and that he pleaded guilty to two counts each of wire fraud, mail fraud and theft of government property. He will serve three years of supervised release.
Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used
Full text
Press Release Texas Man Sentenced for COVID-19 Unemployment Fraud Scheme Wednesday, March 25, 2026 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico ALBUQUERQUE – A Texas man was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay $154,744 in restitution for defrauding the government by obtaining COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment benefits through false claims. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court records, between July 2020 and February 2021, Marc Long , while residing in Texas, carried out a scheme to fraudulently obtain federally funded unemployment insurance benefits through the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. Long submitted online unemployment claims and weekly certifications using the names and personal identifying information of other individuals, even though neither he nor those individuals were eligible for the benefits. Court records show Long used the stolen identities of multiple victims to obtain or attempt to obtain COVID-19-related unemployment benefits. His fraudulent applications caused benefits to be deposited into bank accounts accessible by him and caused debit cards loaded with benefits to be mailed to addresses in Texas associated with Long . The fraud resulted in the theft of over $150,000 of federal unemployment relief funds intended for New Mexico residents impacted by COVID-19. Long pleaded guilty to two counts each of wire fraud, mail fraud and theft of government property. Upon his release from prison, Long will be subject to three years of supervised release. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today. The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office and Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General investigated this case with assistance from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case. Updated March 25, 2026 Topic Financial Fraud Components Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) USAO - New Mexico Press Release Number: 26-87 Related Content Press Release Former Union Treasurer Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Union Funds Max Jaramillo pleaded guilty to embezzling union funds for unauthorized personal expenses and concealing the misuse through false financial reports submitted to the Department of Labor. August 19, 2026 Press Release Former New Mexico State Representative and Business Owner Convicted in Federal Bribery, Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme After a nine-day trial, a federal jury convicted former State Representative Sheryl Williams Stapleton and her friend Joseph Johnson on all counts with which they were charged stemming from a yearslong... August 14, 2026 Press Release Santa Fe Woman Sentenced to More Than Nine Years in Prison for Embezzling from Her Employer Charity Felch was sentenced to more than nine years in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Santa Fe electrical company. July 17, 2026
File and source
- File
- usao-nm-pr-texas-man-sentenced-covid-19-unemployment-fraud-scheme.html
- Size
- 99,695 bytes
- SHA-256
- 41a26d45303b61abd708e557dcc5fe81ce7e79d6396f58517f3fc0f259a9311d
- Original
- www.justice.gov