Four suspects indicted for allegedly filing fraudulent unemployment claims of $700,000 during pandemic [Baltimore Sun]

Baltimore Sun (MD)

Four residents of Rockville and Taneytown have been indicted for allegedly filing more than $700,000 worth of fraudulent unemployment insurance claims during the coronavirus pandemic.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced the indictments Tuesday.

Cindy Boadu, Kelvin Boadu and Kwame Boadu, all of Rockville, are each charged with theft scheme over $100,000, conspiracy to commit theft scheme over $100,000, 38 counts of identity fraud and 38 counts of conspiracy to commit identity fraud, court records show. Leslie Awulley Quaye of Taneytown was charged with theft scheme over $100,000 and 11 counts of identity fraud, according to court filings.

The cases will be heard in Baltimore City Circuit Court. The suspects could not be reached immediately Tuesday.

The charges stem from allegedly fraudulent unemployment claims filed in the names of dozens of identity fraud victims between June and July 2020. The federal government had allocated billions of dollars in funding to states for residents who were unemployed because of government shutdowns during the COVID-19 health crisis.

The rapid expansion of unemployment benefits prompted widespread concerns about fraud at the time. A state investigation turned up a massive identity theft scheme involving more than 47,500 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims totaling more than $501 million. State officials went on to freeze suspicious accounts, leaving some recipients in limbo for months.

The suspects in the case charged Tuesday allegedly assumed the identities of at least 48 victims and submitted unemployment claims using their personal identification information, the attorney general said. As a result of the claims, the Maryland Department of Labor distributed more than $700,000 in allegedly fraudulent benefits onto bank debit cards.

“The defendants not only violated the rights of innocent individuals whose identities were exploited, they undermined vital safety nets intended to support Marylanders who faced adversity during COVID-19,” Brown said in an announcement Tuesday.