Pennsylvania Man Sentenced for Multi-State Pandemic Insurance Fraud

Adrian Fluellen, 29, was sentenced to 51 months in prison by United States District Judge Matthew F. Leitman for pandemic insurance fraud in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. He was also ordered to pay more than $900,000 in restitution. Fluellen, along with a co-defendant, defrauded the federal government, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland of approximately $1 million in funds intended for individuals who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They committed the crimes using interstate wires and obtaining unauthorized social security numbers and other identification belonging to different individuals. Fluellen pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in February. He and his co-defendant filed hundreds of false unemployment claims with state unemployment insurance agencies in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland using stolen personal identification without consent. They received hundreds of Bank of America prepaid debit cards loaded with approximately $1 million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds at addresses in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Fluellen, his co-defendant, and accomplices then unloaded over $930,000 from the cards through cash withdrawals and purchases including jewelry, drugs, at least one vehicle, and at least one firearm. Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller of the Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, stated that the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance granted by the CARES Act was intended as a lifeline for those affected by the pandemic, not for individuals like Fluellen to exploit. U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison emphasized the importance of holding individuals accountable for committing fraud during such challenging times.