Bare Hill prisoners implicated in scheme

A Long Island woman pled to prison-based unemployment insurance fraud, pleading guilty to conspiring with a state prisoner to obtain unemployment insurance benefits by fraud, on Thursday.

Thursday's plea, made by Briana Garland, 29, of Uniondale, was the fourth and final plea in related cases stemming from pandemic-related schemes involving prisoners at the Bare Hill Correctional Facility in Malone, according to a prepared statement from Acting United States Attorney Michael Barnett for the Northern District of New York.

During her guilty plea to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, Garland admitted to submitting a false unemployment insurance claim to the state Department of Labor in the name of Reginald Thornton, an inmate at Bare Hill.

"These state prisoners were already incarcerated for other serious crimes, and now they will serve more time for committing fraudulent schemes from behind bars," U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman for the Northern District of New York, said, in the press release, "Thanks to the work of our federal and state partners, Garland and the other defendants will not escape accountability for defrauding a program intended to help out-of-work New Yorkers put food on the table and pay their bills in the midst of a global public health crisis."

According to the press release, prisoners are not eligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits and Garland agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $19,580 to the state.

"Garland and her coconspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud the New York Department of Labor by filing for unemployment insurance benefits in the names of incarcerated individuals who were not entitled to such benefits," Jonathan Mellone, the labor department's special agent in charge of the New York region, said, in the press release, "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the system from those who exploit these benefit programs."

Garland's mail fraud conviction carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years.

"It is despicable that during such a difficult financial time in our history that Garland would attempt to fraudulently claim benefits meant for individuals who are struggling to find legitimate work during a pandemic," Matthew Scarpino, acting special agent in charge of the Buffalo field office of Homeland Security Investigations, said, in the press release, "Her crimes were further exacerbated by her conspiring with a known, incarcerated criminal. HSI will continue to identify and hold accountable those that steal from the government and the pockets of American taxpayers."

Garland is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8, 2022, by Chief U.S. District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby.

"Whenever criminals use the U.S. Mail to further pad their pockets at the expense of hard-working Americans, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service will be there the bring them to justice," Ketty Larco-Ward, U.S. Postal Inspection Service inspector in charge of the Boston District, said, in the press release, "Today's plea highlights how proud we are of our law enforcement partnerships, and how we will continue to stand ready to assist in thwarting crimes like these."

Thornton, 29, previously pled guilty to participating in two prison-based unemployment insurance fraud conspiracies and was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison in July, to be served when his state prison term ends, according to the press release.

Two other defendants, Rhasha Wright and Bare Hill inmate Lord Paulin, previously pled guilty to conspiring with Thornton to obtain unemployment insurance benefits in the names of Paulin and another inmate, according to the press release, which states Paulin was sentenced to 19 months in federal prison, to be served after his state sentence ends, while Wright is currently awaiting sentencing.

"The New York State Department of Labor is committed to fighting unemployment fraud, because every dollar stolen is a dollar taken away from a law-abiding New Yorker who needs it," Roberta Reardon, the state's Department of Labor Commissioner, said, in the press release, "This case was uncovered through our ongoing partnership with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, and I'm grateful to the United States Department of Justice for seeing that those who commit fraud are held accountable."