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U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Waterbury Man Charged with Theft of Pandemic Unemployment Benefits (USAO D-CT 11/30/2022) (2022-12-02)

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut, dated November 30, 2022, announcing the arrest of Olajuwon Harrington, also known as "OJ Harrington," of Waterbury on a federal criminal complaint. Harrington appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and was released on a $50,000 bond. It is alleged that Harrington and/or others used identifying information of real persons without their knowledge to submit fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance applications to the Connecticut Department of Labor, and that Harrington used the debit cards issued in the victims' names. The complaint charges access device fraud, with a maximum term of 15 years, and aggravated identity theft.

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Cite this document

“U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Waterbury Man Charged with Theft of Pandemic Unemployment Benefits (USAO D-CT 11/30/2022) (2022-12-02).” Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/u-s-department-of-labor-oig-waterbury-man-charged-with-theft-of-pandem-4d31e1bad2/, SHA-256 3a6e1ffde37b32b1ee64166719d4dc692710b08371991bace51a47a44acb62ad.

Full text

                                      Department of Justice
                                        U.S. Attorney’s Office
                                       District of Connecticut


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                               Wednesday, November 30, 2022

          Waterbury Man Charged with Theft of Pandemic
                    Unemployment Benefits
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that
OLAJUWON HARRINGTON, also known as “OJ Harrington,” 30, of Waterbury, was arrested today
on a federal criminal complaint charging him with fraud and identity theft offenses related to his
alleged theft of pandemic unemployment benefits.

Harrington appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and was
released on a $50,000 bond.

As alleged in court documents, in March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
Act (“CARES Act”) was signed into law. The CARES Act created a new temporary federal
unemployment insurance program for pandemic unemployment assistance (“Pandemic
Unemployment Assistance”). Pandemic Unemployment Assistance provided unemployment
insurance (“UI”) benefits for employed individuals who are not eligible for other types of UI due to
their employment status. The CARES Act also created a new temporary federal program called
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (“FPUC”) that provided additional weekly benefits
to those eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or regular UI. The Connecticut
Department of Labor (CT-DOL) administers UI benefits for residents of Connecticut.

It is alleged that, using identifying information of real persons (“victims”) without their knowledge,
Harrington and/or others submitted to CT-DOL numerous fraudulent applications for Pandemic
Unemployment Assistance. Relying on the applications, CT-DOL awarded unemployment assistance
in the form of debit cards in the names of the victims and mailed the debit cards to addresses
provided in the applications. Thereafter, Harrington obtained the debit cards issued in victims’
names and unlawfully used the cards for his own benefit.

The complaint charges Harrington with access device fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term
of imprisonment of 15 years, and aggravated identify theft, an offense that carries a mandatory
consecutive sentence of two years.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges
are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General;
U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General; U.S. Postal Inspection Service;
Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Connecticut Department of
Labor. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
Topic(s):                                              Component(s):
Coronavirus                                            USAO - Connecticut
Financial Fraud
Identity Theft

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2022-12-02-Waterbury-Man-Charged-with-Theft-of-Pandemic-Unemployment-Benefits-USAO-D-CT-11-30-2022.pdf
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102,716 bytes
SHA-256
3a6e1ffde37b32b1ee64166719d4dc692710b08371991bace51a47a44acb62ad
Our copy
2022-12-02-Waterbury-Man-Charged-with-Theft-of-Pandemic-Unemployment-Benefits-USAO-D-CT-11-30-2022.pdf
Original
www.oig.dol.gov
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