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U.S. Department of Labor OIG, St. Joseph Woman Pleads Guilty to Using Prison Inmates in Covid Fraud Scheme (USAO WD-MO 05/18/2023) (2023-05-19)

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Missouri, dated May 18, 2023, announcing that Brooke Stewart, 38, a St. Joseph woman, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of stealing government property. Stewart admitted facilitating false unemployment claims using the stolen identity information of five individuals incarcerated in state or federal prison, and also fraudulently receiving federal unemployment benefits in Stewart's own name and another person's. The release states that Stewart stole at least $139,663 in CARES Act benefits and that none of the inmates received any of the benefits. Among those whose identities were used were federal defendants Garland Nelson, serving a 32-year federal sentence in a cattle fraud case, and Brooke Beckley, serving a 40-year sentence.

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Cite this document

“U.S. Department of Labor OIG, St. Joseph Woman Pleads Guilty to Using Prison Inmates in Covid Fraud Scheme (USAO WD-MO 05/18/2023) (2023-05-19).” Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/u-s-department-of-labor-oig-st-joseph-woman-pleads-guilty-to-using-pri-e76838174d/, SHA-256 2726a9723c601273f8831d09111bd4ca88e2a4040bfd3aaa137b4eb8502aec21.

Full text

PRESS RELEASE



St. Joseph Woman Pleads Guilty to
Using Prison Inmates in Covid
Fraud Scheme
Thursday, May 18, 2023


For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to
using the stolen identities of prison inmates to fraudulently obtain federal
unemployment benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
(CARES) Act.

Brooke Stewart, 38, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one
count of stealing government property.

By pleading guilty today, Stewart admitted that she facilitated the filing of false claims
for unemployment benefits by using the stolen identity information of five individuals
who were incarcerated in state or federal prison and therefore not eligible to receive
Missouri and enhanced unemployment benefits. Stewart also fraudulently received
federal unemployment benefits in her own name and another person.

As a result of her fraud scheme, Stewart stole at least $139,663 in benefits under the
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided additional
federal pandemic unemployment compensation to eligible individuals receiving other
unemployment benefits under state laws.

None of the inmates whose identity information was stolen actually received any of the
fraudulently obtained benefits. Among those individuals whose stolen identity
information was used to obtain benefits from May 2020 to June 2021 were federal
defendants Garland Nelson and Brooke Beckley. Nelson is serving a 32-year federal
prison sentence for a cattle fraud scheme that led to two murders in Braymer, Mo., and
for illegally possessing a firearm, as well as two life sentences in a separate state case for
the murders. Beckley is serving a 40-year prison sentence for her role in the murder of a
Mexican national who was executed to help her avoid paying a debt owed in a drug-
trafficking conspiracy in the Springfield, Mo., area.

Under federal statutes, Stewart is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal
prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and
is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be
determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other
statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a
presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was
investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General and
the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General – Office of Investigations & Labor
Racketeering Fraud.
Updated May 18, 2023

Topic
CORONAVIRUS


Component
USAO - Missouri, Western

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SHA-256
2726a9723c601273f8831d09111bd4ca88e2a4040bfd3aaa137b4eb8502aec21
Our copy
2023-05-19-St-Joseph-Woman-Pleads-Guilty-to-Using-Prison-Inmates-in-Covid-Fraud-Scheme-USAO-WD-MO-05-18-2023.pdf
Original
www.oig.dol.gov
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