THIRD MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO COMMITTING COVID RELATED UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD FROM PRISON
Summary
A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi dated Friday, February 27, 2026, announcing that Kev’Veonta Short, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to court documents and information presented to the court, he conspired with other inmates at the South Mississippi Correctional Institute to submit false unemployment insurance claims during the Covid 19 pandemic, providing his personal details to another inmate who submitted claims on his behalf. The release states that two co-conspirators, Adrian Wilson and Aaron Sanders, previously pleaded guilty, that Wilson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2026, and that Short is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2026. The maximum statutory term for each is 20 years.
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Full text
Press Release THIRD MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO COMMITTING COVID RELATED UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD FROM PRISON Friday, February 27, 2026 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Mississippi Gulfport, MS – A Nachez, Mississippi man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud today. According to court documents and information presented to the Court, Kev’Veonta Short, 32, conspired with other inmates at the South Mississippi Correctional Institute to submit false unemployment insurance claims during the Covid 19 pandemic. Short provided his personal details to another inmate so that inmate could submit fraudulent unemployment claims on his behalf. Such fraudulent applications were being submitted on behalf of multiple other inmates. Two of Short’s coconspirators, Adrian Wilson and Aaron Sanders, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Wilson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2026. Sanders is scheduled to be sentenced on Jun 11, 2026. Short is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2026. The maximum statutory term of imprisonment for Wilson, Sanders, and Short is 20 years. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Mississippi Office of the Public Auditor are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner is prosecuting the case. Contact Karen Coates Public Affairs Officer Karen.Coates@usdoj.gov Updated February 27, 2026 Components Department of Justice USAO - Mississippi, Southern
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