U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Coventry Woman Admits to Fraudulently Applying for and Receiving COVID Unemployment Benefits (USAO D-RI 11/21/2022) (2022-11-22)

Summary

A November 21, 2022 press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island announcing that Deanna Alston, of Coventry, pleaded guilty to a charge of wire fraud. According to the release, while collecting pandemic related unemployment benefits from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Alston filed fraudulent applications with the States of California and Pennsylvania. The release states that between July 30, 2020, and September 8, 2020, Alston collected approximately $17,075 in benefits without entitlement. Sentencing is scheduled for February 27, 2023, and the case is investigated by the FBI, Rhode Island State Police, and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General.

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“U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Coventry Woman Admits to Fraudulently Applying for and Receiving COVID Unemployment Benefits (USAO D-RI 11/21/2022) (2022-11-22).” Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/u-s-department-of-labor-oig-coventry-woman-admits-to-fraudulently-appl-fbc8d61a5a/, SHA-256 4003e5397e01580b0c097a88e3a7a1fc23314476c5a85aed69383604043e42eb.

Full text

Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Rhode Island

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, November 21, 2022

Coventry Woman Admits to Fraudulently Applying for and
Receiving COVID Unemployment Benefits
PROVIDENCE – A Coventry woman today admitted to a federal judge that she fraudulently applied
for and received more than $17,000 in unemployment benefits provided for by the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
program, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General
Peter F. Neronha.

Deanna Alston, 34, admitted to the court that while collecting pandemic related unemployment
benefits from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, she filed fraudulent applications
with the States of California and Pennsylvania, knowing that she was not entitled to collect benefits
from those states. Between July 30, 2020, and September 8, 2020, Alston collected approximately
$17,075 in unemployment befits that she was not entitled to receive.

Alston today pleaded guilty to a charge of wire fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on February
27, 2023. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration
of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case, as well as other instances of criminal activity related to fraudulent applications for
pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits, are being investigated jointly by the FBI,
Rhode Island State Police, and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General. Cases are
jointly reviewed, charged, and prosecuted by a team of prosecutors that include Assistant U.S.
Attorneys Stacey P. Veroni, Denise M. Barton, Stacey P. Veroni, and G. Michael Seaman, and Rhode
Island Assistant Attorney General John M. Moreira, chief of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s
Public Integrity Unit.

Rhode Islanders who believe their personal identification has been stolen and used to fraudulently
obtain unemployment benefits are urged to contact the Rhode Island State Police
at financialcrimes@risp.gov or the FBI Providence office at (401) 272-8310.

On May 17, 2021, the United States Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement
Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across
government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force
bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal
actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among
other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying
resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and
harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on
the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID- 19 can report it by
calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-
5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-
disaster-complaint-form.

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Topic(s):
Coronavirus
Component(s):
USAO - Rhode Island
Contact:
Jim Martin (401) 709-5357
Press Release Number:
22-160
Updated November 21, 2022

File and source

File: 2022-11-22-Coventry-Woman-Admits-to-Fraudulently-Applying-for-and-Receiving-COVID-Unemployment-Benefits-USAO-D.pdf
Size: 90,103 bytes
SHA-256: 4003e5397e01580b0c097a88e3a7a1fc23314476c5a85aed69383604043e42eb
Our copy: 2022-11-22-Coventry-Woman-Admits-to-Fraudulently-Applying-for-and-Receiving-COVID-Unemployment-Benefits-USAO-D.pdf
Original: www.oig.dol.gov