U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Texan sentenced in CARES Act unemployment fraud scheme (USAO SD-TX 05/04/2021) (2021-05-05)
Summary
A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas, dated May 4, 2021, announcing that U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered William Cleveland Peck, a 29-year-old Corpus Christi man, to serve a 41-month sentence followed by three years of supervised release. The release states that Peck pleaded guilty Oct. 22, 2020 and admitted to a scheme to misappropriate $255,052 in unemployment benefits. According to the release, Peck used misappropriated personally identifiable information to file false Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and general unemployment claims with the Texas Workforce Commission between May and July 2020, causing debit cards to be mailed to a P.O. Box Peck used. Peck was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender.
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“U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Texan sentenced in CARES Act unemployment fraud scheme (USAO SD-TX 05/04/2021) (2021-05-05).”
Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/u-s-department-of-labor-oig-texan-sentenced-in-cares-act-unemployment-9a19d2b9da/
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Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Southern District of Texas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, May 4, 2021
Texan sentenced in CARES Act unemployment fraud scheme
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 29-year-old Corpus Christi man has been ordered to federal prison
after he admitted to devising a scheme to fraudulently misappropriate $255,052 in unemployment
benefits meant for those suffering financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, announced
Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
William Cleveland Peck pleaded guilty Oct. 22, 2020.
Today, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered him to serve a 41-month sentence to be
immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
As part of his guilty plea, Peck admitted to misappropriating personally identifiable information,
such as Social Security numbers and dates of birth, related to various individuals. Peck then used
that information to file multiple false and fraudulent claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
(PUA) and general unemployment benefits between May and July 2020.
Peck admitted to committing mail fraud by using misappropriated identities to file false and
fraudulent claims with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), causing TWC to mail debit cards to
a P.O. Box Peck utilized. Peck then used the fraudulently-obtained debit cards to withdraw cash and
make purchases. The individuals under whose identities Peck filed the false claims were not
residents of Texas, not eligible for benefits through TWC and did not authorize Peck to file such
claims.
PUA benefits were made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security
(CARES) Act - a federal law enacted March 29, 2020, which provides emergency financial assistance
to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19
pandemic.
Previously released on bond, Peck was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a
U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Department of Labor - Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and TWC
conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Swartz and Asha Natarajan are
prosecuting the case.
Topic(s): Component(s):
Coronavirus USAO - Texas, Southern
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