U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Queens Couple Sentenced for $380,000 COVID Unemployment Fraud Conspiracy (USAO ND-NY 09/20/2024) (2024-09-30)

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York, dated September 20, 2024, announcing that William Taylor, age 33, of Jamaica, New York, was sentenced to 36 months' imprisonment for aggravated identity theft and conspiring with Patricia Clarke to commit mail and wire fraud, and that Clarke, 27, was sentenced to 12 months' and one day imprisonment for the conspiracy. The release states that Taylor and Clarke used the names, dates of birth and social security numbers of at least 20 individuals to submit claims to the New York State Department of Labor, which paid $381,815. United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino ordered restitution of $381,815, forfeiture of $315,723 by Taylor and $66,092 by Clarke, and 2 years' supervised release.

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Cite this document

“U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Queens Couple Sentenced for $380,000 COVID Unemployment Fraud Conspiracy (USAO ND-NY 09/20/2024) (2024-09-30).” Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/u-s-department-of-labor-oig-queens-couple-sentenced-for-380-000-covid-9a0a0eb930/, SHA-256 0cd96b8ad7b442789c8e21c0da33d88399906744f53acaec29105bf0165f513d.

Full text

Press Release

Queens Couple Sentenced for $380,000 COVID Unemployment Fraud Conspiracy
Friday, September 20, 2024

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York

William Taylor and Patricia Clarke Stole Unemployment Beneﬁts in 20 New Yorker’s Names

ALBANY, NEW YORK – William Taylor, age 33, of Jamaica, New York, was sentenced to serve 36
months’ imprisonment for aggravated identity theft and conspiring with his girlfriend, Patricia
Clarke, to commit mail and wire fraud. Clarke, 27, also of Jamaica, was also sentenced to 12
months’ and one day imprisonment for the conspiracy.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General,
Northeast Region (USDOL-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone; Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI), Buffalo, New York Field Office Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino; U.S.
Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division (USPIS) Postal Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward;
and New York State Inspector General (NYSIG) Lucy Lang made the announcement.

Taylor and Clarke used stolen identities to fraudulently obtain pandemic unemployment insurance
beneﬁts from the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL). They used the names, dates of
birth, and social security numbers of at least 20 individuals to submit claims to NYSDOL. Based on
those false claims, NYSDOL wired funds directly to accounts controlled by Taylor, Clarke, or both;
and NYSDOL directed bank cards to be mailed to the addresses directed by Taylor and Clarke. In
total, NYSDOL paid $381,815 on the claims submitted by Taylor and Clarke under the stolen
identities.

United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also ordered both defendants repay $381,815 in
restitution to NYSDOL; Taylor to forfeit $315,723 in criminal proceeds; and Clarke to forfeit $66,092
in criminal proceeds. Judge D’Agostino also sentenced both defendants to 2 years’ supervised
release.

USDOL-OIG, HSI, USPIS, and NYSIG investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan
S. Reiner prosecuted.

Updated September 20, 2024

File and source

File: 2024-09-30-Queens-Couple-Sentenced-for-380-000-COVID-Unemployment-Fraud-Conspiracy-USAO-ND-NY-09-20-2024.pdf
Size: 72,018 bytes
SHA-256: 0cd96b8ad7b442789c8e21c0da33d88399906744f53acaec29105bf0165f513d
Our copy: 2024-09-30-Queens-Couple-Sentenced-for-380-000-COVID-Unemployment-Fraud-Conspiracy-USAO-ND-NY-09-20-2024.pdf
Original: www.oig.dol.gov