U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Siblings Convicted, Sentenced in Federal Court for COVID Relief Fraud (USAO SD-MS 05/19/2023) (2023-05-19)

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Mississippi, dated May 19, 2023, announcing that Aubrey D. Martinez, a Brandon woman, was sentenced to two years of probation for theft of unemployment insurance benefits related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The release states that Martinez assisted John Evans, Jr., a brother, in applying for benefits with the Mississippi Department of Employment Security while Evans, an inmate in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, was not entitled to them. Evans was convicted of conspiring to commit wire fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21, 2023, facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Restitution of $10,732 is required.

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Full text

PRESS RELEASE



Siblings Convicted, Sentenced in
Federal Court for COVID Relief
Fraud
Friday, May 19, 2023


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

Jackson, Miss. – A Brandon woman was sentenced to two years of probation for theft of
unemployment insurance benefits related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and her brother
was convicted of conspiring with her to commit wire fraud in obtaining these benefits.

U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, and Special Agent
in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector
General, Southeast Region made the announcement.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Aubrey D. Martinez
assisted her brother, John Evans, Jr., in applying for benefits with the Mississippi
Department of Employment Security. As an inmate in the Mississippi Department of
Corrections, Evans was not entitled to receive unemployment insurance benefits. Evans
is serving a 20-year sentence in MDOC custody for armed robbery and possession of a
firearm by a convicted felon.

The unemployment insurance benefits were federally subsidized through the CARES Act
in response to the pandemic.

Her brother, John Evans, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21, 2023, and faces a
maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The pair will be required
to pay restitution in the amount of $10,732.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and the Mississippi Office of
the State Auditor investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s National
Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force (NUIFTF). In response to the unprecedented
scope of Unemployment Insurance (UI) fraud, the Department of Justice established the
NUIFTF. The NUIFTF is a prosecutor-led multi-agency task force with representatives
from FBI, DOL-OIG, IRS-CI, HSI, DHS-OIG, USPIS, USSS, SSA-OIG, FDIC-OIG, and other
agencies. Members of the NUIFTF are working with state workforce agencies, financial
institutions, and other law enforcement partners across the country to fight UI fraud,
and consumers should be vigilant in light of these threats and take the appropriate
steps to safeguard themselves.

The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide
emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the
economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by
the CARES Act is the authorization that expands states’ ability to provide unemployment
insurance for many workers impacted by COVID-19, including for workers who are not
ordinarily eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.

Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by
calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at
866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form
at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Updated May 19, 2023

Topic
CORONAVIRUS


Component
USAO - Mississippi, Southern


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