Deandra Michelle Smith, a 39-year-old Las Vegas resident, has admitted to her role in an unemployment insurance fraud scheme, even while she was on pretrial release for a similar offense. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada, Smith pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of another person's California Employment Development Department (EDD) unemployment insurance benefits debit card.
Following her guilty plea, Smith's sentencing has been set for February 19, 2025, by United States District Judge Jennifer Dorsey. She is potentially facing up to 35 years in prison for her actions. Court documents revealed that Smith initially helped a friend file for unemployment insurance during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic but continued to quickly collect and use the benefits after the friend had returned to work, accumulating more than $16,100 for personal expenses.
"Deandra Smith engaged in a scheme to defraud DOL’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) program by using a friend’s personally identifiable information to obtain UI benefits without the friend’s permission or consent. Despite being previously prosecuted and convicted for similar conduct, Smith exploited the UI program. This case highlights our strong collaboration with the United States Attorney’s Office and our mutual commitment to secure justice for the American workforce," stated Special Agent in Charge Quentin Heiden of the DOL-OIG, Western Region in the U.S. Attorney's Office release.
The case was investigated by the DOL-OIG, with Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Frayn leading the prosecution. In response to the pandemic, the Department of Justice had previously escalated efforts to combat fraud through the establishment of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force in May 2021. The task force aims to not only bring criminal actors to justice but also to improve the integrity of the pandemic-related relief programs. Anyone with information relating to COVID-19 fraud can report it to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or through their online complaint form.
