In a substantial crackdown on pandemic-related fraud, Mervyn Fombe Abiko, 35, from Maryland, is accused by a federal grand jury of submitting over $1 million in fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland details charges against the 35-year-old, including conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The unsealing of the indictment coincides with Abiko’s arrest and followed his initial court appearance in Baltimore, which took place on October 2. The charges suggest that, from March 2020 through January 2021, Abiko and his associates employed stolen personal information to file false unemployment insurance claims. This led to issuing and exploiting debit cards filled with ill-gotten benefits. These criminal acts were part of a larger scheme that capitalized on federal programs to assist those affected by the COVID-19 crisis, such as the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program and the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation.
Federal law enforcement officials from multiple agencies are being tapped to address these complex allegations. Alongside U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron stands a cadre of specialists: postal inspector Damon E. Wood, Homeland Security Special Agent Michael S. McCarthy, and officials from the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Department of Labor. U.S. Attorney Barron praised the collective effort in the investigation, signaling an aggressive stance against schemes designed to steal from emergency relief efforts.
While the indictment carries potential sentences totaling over 20 years if convicted of wire fraud, plus a mandatory two years for each count of identity theft, these are subject to a judge's discretion and relevant sentencing guidelines. The U.S. District Court must consider many statutory factors before determining any eventual punishment for Abiko.