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U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Virginia Inmate Sentenced for Role in Pandemic Unemployment Benefits Scheme (USAO ED-VA 01/31/2022) (2022-02-03)

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia, dated January 31, 2022, announcing that Michael Anthony White, 39, originally of Norfolk, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson to 57 months in prison, Case No. 2:21-cr-33. According to court documents, White, incarcerated at the Lawrenceville Correctional Center, worked with Mary Landon Benton, 38, of Portsmouth beginning in May 2020 to collect other inmates' personally identifiable information to apply for Virginia unemployment benefits. The release states that the conspirators initially obtained $436,834 and shared proceeds of over $330,000 after the Virginia Employment Commission reclaimed some funds. Benton and Michael Lee Lewis, Jr. were sentenced to 78 and 115 months, and Angelica Cartwright-Powers pleaded guilty to one conspiracy count.

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Cite this document

“U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Virginia Inmate Sentenced for Role in Pandemic Unemployment Benefits Scheme (USAO ED-VA 01/31/2022) (2022-02-03).” Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/u-s-department-of-labor-oig-virginia-inmate-sentenced-for-role-in-pand-7dfb5e80ae/, SHA-256 59d604c8321afed0f7356d36a9e01dde5b3f3ddebdce2840ec1562c8b1b5a9a4.

Full text

                                      Department of Justice
                                        U.S. Attorney’s Office
                                      Eastern District of Virginia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       Monday, January 31, 2022

          Virginia Inmate Sentenced for Role in Pandemic
                  Unemployment Benefits Scheme
NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia inmate was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for his involvement
in a scheme to obtain pandemic-related unemployment benefits by using the personal identifying
information of over 30 other Virginia prison inmates.

According to court documents, in 2020, Michael Anthony White, 39, originally of Norfolk, was
incarcerated at the Lawrenceville Correctional Center. Beginning in May 2020, he worked with Mary
Landon Benton, 38, of Portsmouth, to collect the personally identifiable information of other inmates
to fraudulently apply for Virginia unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. White
provided Benton information for inmates at the Lawrenceville Correctional Center, resulting in
approximately ten successful unemployment claims for inmates there. Michael Lee Lewis, Jr., an
inmate at the Augusta Correctional Center, provided Benton and another co-defendant, Angelica
Cartwright-Powers, with information for inmates at his facility.

Benton, with the help of White and inmates at two other prisons, submitted successful applications for
Virginia unemployment benefits for 31 inmates. Cartwright-Powers additionally submitted successful
applications for four inmates.

White and his co-conspirators, along with the prisoners whose information was used for the
unemployment applications, shared the proceeds of the crimes, which amounted to over $330,000.
Although the conspirators initially obtained $436,834, the Virginia Employment Commission was able
to reclaim some of the disbursed funds after discovering the fraud.

Benton and Lewis have both been sentenced for their roles in the scheme to 78 and 115 months of
imprisonment, respectively. Cartwright-Powers, has pleaded guilty to one conspiracy count and is
scheduled to be sentenced on March 24.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Troy W. Springer, Acting Special
Agent-in-Charge of the Washington, DC Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector
General; and Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security, made
the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

This investigation was conducted under the auspices of “Operation Checkmate,” the Virginia
Department of Corrections Inmate Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force. The task force is led
by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, DOL-OIG, DHS-OIG, and the Virginia
Department of Corrections. This investigation included assistance from the U.S. Secret Service’s
Richmond Field Office, the Portsmouth Police Department, and the Virginia Employment
Commission.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gantt prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern
District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District
Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-33.
Topic(s):       USAO - Virginia, Eastern
Coronavirus
                Contact:
Component(s):   USAVAE.Press@usdoj.gov

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2022-02-03-Virginia-Inmate-Sentenced-for-Role-in-Pandemic-Unemployment-Benefits-Scheme-USAO-ED-VA-01-31-2022.pdf
Original
www.oig.dol.gov
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