Ex-Amtrak employee indicted for fraudulently getting pandemic funds

The Indictment alleges that Burrell fraudulently applied for and received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance ("PUA") funds while she was a full-time employee of Amtrak. Further, Burrell applied for and received a Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") loan for what she claimed was a small catering business. Burrell was terminated from employment with Amtrak after the crimes alleged in the Indictment occurred.

The Indictment alleges that Burrell took advantage of both programs, securing pandemic relief funds to which she was not entitled by filling out fraudulent applications. Specifically, in June 2020, the defendant submitted a PUA application, falsely stating that she had lost her job due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Indictment, the defendant subsequently submitted weekly PUA certifications, falsely reporting that she had no employment and income and was also ready and able to accept a job if offered. All of defendant's weekly certifications occurred while she was a full-time employee of Amtrak. As a result of her fraudulent application and weekly certifications, the defendant obtained $9,379 in PUA benefits.

The Indictment further charges that in April 2021, the defendant submitted a PPP loan application to the Small Business Administration (SBA), providing false information about an alleged catering business. As part of the application, Burrell made false statements about the alleged business' creation date, monthly payroll, number of employees, and prior year's income. Additionally, as part of the application process, defendant submitted fictitious payroll and tax documents to substantiate the requested loan amount of $134,552.50.

"Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds are intended to help Americans who are not working or who have experienced dramatically reduced working hours due to the pandemic, not people who are already gainfully employed," said U.S. Attorney Romero. "Thieves who attempt to take these funds are taking advantage of others' misfortune -- ripping them off while also ripping off all taxpayers who fund the program. As alleged, this defendant fraudulently obtained funds that could have helped struggling individuals."

"An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud related to unemployment insurance programs. We will continue to work with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations", stated Syreeta Scott, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Philadelphia Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

"We remain committed to investigating any case where there are credible allegations of fraudulent activities," said Mike Waters, Special Agent in Charge of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General Eastern Field Office. "This indictment is indicative of that commitment and was the result of hard work by dedicated staff coupled with seamless collaboration with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General."

The case was investigated by the Department of Labor -- Office of Inspector General and Amtrak -- Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Lanni.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Persons with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: http://www.doj.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Contact:

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA 615 Chestnut Street, Suite 1250 Philadelphia, PA 19106 JENNIFER CRANDALL Media Contact 215-861-8300 Follow @USAO_EDPA on Twitter to get the most up-to-date information about big cases and community news.

Updated September 9, 2022