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Home Source documents U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Maryland Man Facing Federal Indictment for Filing Fraudulent Applications for COVID-19 CARES Act Unemployment Benefits and for Illegal Possession of a Firearm (USAO D-MD 01/26/2023) (2023-01-30)

U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Maryland Man Facing Federal Indictment for Filing Fraudulent Applications for COVID-19 CARES Act Unemployment Benefits and for Illegal Possession of a Firearm (USAO D-MD 01/26/2023) (2023-01-30)

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland, dated January 26, 2023, announcing a two-count indictment charging Ryan E. Dales, age 34, of Baltimore, Maryland, with illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon and with wire fraud related to CARES Act unemployment insurance applications. According to the indictment, Dales illegally possessed a firearm on January 20, 2023. The indictment alleges that from December 2020 through about September 2021 Dales submitted UI applications with false statements about employment, eligibility and purported businesses, supported by a fictitious tax form. The release lists maximum sentences of 10 years for the firearm charge and 20 years for wire fraud and states that an indictment is not a finding of guilt.

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Cite this document

“U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Maryland Man Facing Federal Indictment for Filing Fraudulent Applications for COVID-19 CARES Act Unemployment Benefits and for Illegal Possession of a Firearm (USAO D-MD 01/26/2023) (2023-01-30).” Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/u-s-department-of-labor-oig-maryland-man-facing-federal-indictment-for-27b43be2af/, SHA-256 076b68f92416def762e153153c55ed74be7ef39d9459a3b5f335f7aef80eba4c.

Full text

                                      Department of Justice
                                        U.S. Attorney’s Office
                                         District of Maryland


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                     Thursday, January 26, 2023

      Maryland Man Facing Federal Indictment for Filing
       Fraudulent Applications for COVID-19 CARES Act
     Unemployment Benefits and for Illegal Possession of a
                           Firearm
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Ryan E.
Dales, age 34, of Baltimore, Maryland, with illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted
felon and with wire fraud, relating to the submission of fraudulent applications for unemployment
insurance (UI) benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L.
Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Baltimore Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, of the National Capital
Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

According to the two-count indictment, Dales illegally possessed a firearm on January 20, 2023.

The CARES Act, enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans
suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, created the Pandemic
Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which expanded states’ ability to provide UI for workers
impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including workers who otherwise wouldn’t be eligible for UI
benefits. The indictment alleges that beginning in December 2020 and continuing through about
September 2021, Dales submitted applications for UI benefits that contained false statements,
misrepresentations, and omissions related to his employment, his eligibility to received UI benefits,
and his purported businesses, including their existence, operation, and profits. Dales allegedly
submitted a fictitious tax form in support of his applications.

More information on the allegations against Dales may be found here.

If convicted, Dales faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in
possession of a firearm and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud. 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. Dales is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore,
but no date has been set.

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

The District of Maryland COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force is one of three strike forces established by
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and 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 FBI and DOL-OIG for their work in the
investigation. United States Attorney Barron and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley are
prosecuting the case. Mr. Barron 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.

                                                ###
Topic(s):                                             Contact:
Coronavirus                                           Marcia Lubin
Firearms Offenses
                                                      (410) 209-4854
Component(s):
USAO - Maryland

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