U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Maryland and Virginia Men Facing Federal Charges for Fraudulently Obtaining More Than $550,000 in COVID-19 Cares Act Unemployment Insurance Benefits Using the Personal Information of Identity Theft Victimse (USAO D-MD 09/14/2023) (2023-09-14)

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland, dated September 14, 2023, announcing a superseding indictment charging Michael Cooley, Jr., age 24, and Isiah Lewis, age 33, both of Maryland, and Alonzo Brown, age 26, of Virginia, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft over fraudulent CARES Act unemployment insurance claims. The superseding indictment was filed July 19, 2023 and unsealed upon the arrest of the defendants. According to the superseding indictment, from at least June 2020 through March 2021 the defendants used identity theft victims' information to file online UI applications in Maryland and California and had debit cards mailed to addresses in Maryland and elsewhere. The release states that Cooley, Lewis and Brown obtained more than $550,000; a superseding indictment is not a finding of guilt.

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“U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Maryland and Virginia Men Facing Federal Charges for Fraudulently Obtaining More Than $550,000 in COVID-19 Cares Act Unemployment Insurance Benefits Using the Personal Information of Identity Theft Victimse (USAO D-MD 09/14/2023) (2023-09-14).” Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/u-s-department-of-labor-oig-maryland-and-virginia-men-facing-federal-c-8ad7c4fc63/, SHA-256 0d59bf6b13d4f76bc8c7012b9d1648f2d2eb01c208821846603f3c8bd9411d57.

Full text

PRESS RELEASE

Maryland and Virginia Men Facing
Federal Charges for Fraudulently
Obtaining More Than $550,000 in
COVID-19 Cares Act
Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Using the Personal Information of
Identity Theft Victims
Thursday, September 14, 2023

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

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment
charging Michael Cooley, Jr., a/k/a “Micheal Cooley Jr.,” “5Micmusik,” and “Michael
White,” age 24, and Isiah Lewis, a/k/a “Zay,” age 33, both of Maryland; and “Alonzo
Brown, age 26, of Virginia, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity
theft, relating to the submission of fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance (“UI”)
benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act,
enacted to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the
economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The superseding indictment was
filed July 19, 2023, and unsealed today upon the arrest of the defendants.

Lewis is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt at 2:30
p.m. Cooley and Brown are expected to have their initial appearances in U.S. District
Court in Atlanta, Georgia this afternoon as well.

The superseding indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of
Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the
National Capital Region of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General
(“DOL-OIG”); and Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue
Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

Financial assistance offered through the CARES Act included expanded eligibility for UI
benefits and increased UI benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
Program (“PUA”), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (“FPUC”), and the
Lost Wages Assistance Program (“LWAP”).

According to the superseding indictment from at least June 2020 through March 2021,
the defendants used the personal identifiable information of identity theft victims, such
as name, date of birth, and social security number, to file online UI applications in
Maryland and California, using anonymous email addresses to obscure their identities
and avoid detection. Cooley, Lewis, Brown and others allegedly caused debit cards
bearing the names of identity theft victims and loaded with UI benefits from fraudulent
UI claims to be mailed to addresses in Maryland and elsewhere. The defendants then
used the benefits to obtain money and engage in point-of-sale transactions. Cooley,
Lewis and Brown obtained more than $550,000 through the fraud scheme.

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison
for each count of wire fraud and a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison,
consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft. Actual
sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal
district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S.
Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

A superseding indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by superseding
indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal
proceedings.

The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout
the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-
19 fraud, including fraud relating to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
(“CARES”) Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance
to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The
strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by
criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law
enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to
identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DOL-OIG and IRS-CI for their
work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bijon A. Mostoufi
and Darryl Tarver, who are prosecuting the case. He also recognized the assistance of
the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources
available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao/md.

###

Contact
Marcia Lubin
(410) 209-4854

Updated September 14, 2023

Topics
CORONAVIRUS

FINANCIAL FRAUD

IDENTITY THEFT

Component
USAO - Maryland

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Our copy: 2023-09-14-Maryland-and-Virginia-Men-Facing-Federal-Charges-for-Fraudulently-Obtaining-More-Than-550-000-in-CO.pdf
Original: www.oig.dol.gov