U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Metro-Atlanta man pleads guilty to money laundering of COVID-19 unemployment funds (USAO ND-GA 12/15/2023) (2023-12-18)

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, dated December 15, 2023, announcing that Austin Martin Siampwizi, 46, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a charge of money laundering conspiracy. The release states that Siampwizi laundered money from fraudulent unemployment claims submitted to the Employment Security Department of Washington State using stolen personally identifiable information of more than 50 individuals. It states that Siampwizi also admitted submitting fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster loan and Paycheck Protection Program loan applications for Global Car Rental, LLC, and Global Group Development & Construction, LLC. Sentencing is scheduled for March 26, 2024, before U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II.

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Full text

PRESS RELEASE



Metro-Atlanta man pleads guilty
to money laundering of COVID-19
unemployment funds
Friday, December 15, 2023


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

ATLANTA - Austin Martin Siampwizi, who laundered money procured from fraudulent
unemployment claims filed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has pleaded
guilty to a charge of money laundering conspiracy.

“Criminals used the COVID-19 pandemic to financially benefit while millions of
Americans were suffering,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Money launderers, like
Siampwizi, assisted others in committing underlying offenses in reaping the benefits of
these crimes. Our office is devoted to bringing such individuals to justice.”

“Austin Martin Siampwizi engaged in a scheme with his co-conspirators to purchase and
subsequently cash hundreds of money orders that were funded with fraudulently
obtained unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. The UI benefits were from fraudulent
online claims submitted to the Washington Employment Security Department using the
identities of identity theft victims. We will continue to work with our law enforcement
partners to safeguard the UI system from those who exploit these benefit programs,”
said Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent-in-Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department
of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

“This successful effort represents the U.S. Secret Service commitment to protect citizens
and businesses from fraud and identity theft,” said Steven R. Baisel, Special Agent in
Charge, U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office. “We, along with our state, local, and
federal law enforcement partners will continue to investigate, arrest, and support the
successful prosecution of the criminals who choose to launder illicit proceeds or commit
fraud in Georgia and across the nation.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in
court: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act created a
temporary federal program that provided up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits for
those unemployed as a result of the pandemic and included a provision to provide
temporary benefits to individuals who had exhausted their entitlement to regular
benefits or were otherwise not eligible. That temporary federal program was
administered by state employment agencies.

Siampwizi laundered money procured from fraudulent unemployment claims submitted
to the Employment Security Department of Washington State (“ESD”). These claims were
filed using stolen personally identifiable information of more than 50 individuals.
Siampwizi also admitted to submitting fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster loan and
Paycheck Protection Program loan applications for his two businesses, Global Car Rental,
LLC, and Global Group Development & Construction, LLC.

Sentencing for Austin Martin Siampwizi, 46, of Atlanta, Georgia, is scheduled for March
26, 2024, before U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector
General, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security
Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal
Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Klapman is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the 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.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office
at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-
ndga.

Updated December 15, 2023

Topics
CORONAVIRUS

FINANCIAL FRAUD


Component
USAO - Georgia, Northern


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