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U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Second Wayne County Man Charged With Committing Covid-19 Pandemic Fraud (USAO MD-PA 02/14/2024) (2024-02-14)

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania, dated February 14, 2024, announcing that Robert M. Reynolds, age 69, of Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, was charged in an information with wire fraud. The information alleges that from May 2020 to August 2021 Reynolds aided and abetted another in submitting a fraudulent application and weekly certifications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The filings allegedly claimed Reynolds was unemployed due to the pandemic when Reynolds was a retiree, and Reynolds allegedly obtained approximately $36,000. The release states that a related defendant, Christopher J. Miller, was charged with 54 combined counts for allegedly obtaining over $1,500,000 in pandemic stimulus funds and has pleaded guilty.

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Cite this document

“U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Second Wayne County Man Charged With Committing Covid-19 Pandemic Fraud (USAO MD-PA 02/14/2024) (2024-02-14).” Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/u-s-department-of-labor-oig-second-wayne-county-man-charged-with-commi-655016db32/, SHA-256 6543a9c0bb667e030e721b870863fb521e4e89233c13a79a885129eba5ee33d4.

Full text

PRESS RELEASE



Second Wayne County Man
Charged With Committing Covid-
19 Pandemic Fraud
Wednesday, February 14, 2024


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

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
announced today that Robert M. Reynolds, age 69, of Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, was
charged in an information with wire fraud.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the information alleges that from
May 2020 to August 2021, Reynolds aided and abetted another in submitting a
fraudulent application and weekly certifications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
(PUA) benefits with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The application
and weekly certifications allegedly claimed that Reynolds was unemployed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, had earnings for each quarter of 2019, and was available to accept
employment if offered a job, when in fact, he was a retiree. Reynolds allegedly obtained
approximately $36,000 in PUA benefits as a result of the scheme.

The PUA program was created by the March 2020 CARES Act, as part of the United
States government’s efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the
public’s health and economic well-being. The PUA program was designed to provide
unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment
compensation or extended unemployment benefits.

In May 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office unsealed charges against a related
defendant, Christopher J. Miller, formerly of Newfoundland, Pennsylvania. Miller was
charged with 54 combined counts of wire fraud, bank fraud false statements, identity
theft, and unlawful monetary transactions, for allegedly obtaining over $1,500,000 in
pandemic stimulus funds for himself and for others. Miller was arrested, detained, and
pleaded guilty. He awaits sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and by the
Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J.
Caraballo is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalties under federal law are 20 years of imprisonment, a term of
supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding
of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing
statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent
unless and until found guilty in court.

                                           ###

Updated February 14, 2024

Topic
CORONAVIRUS


Component
USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

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Original
www.oig.dol.gov
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