The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland announced that two Maryland men have been formally indicted on federal charges related to a sophisticated unemployment insurance fraud scheme. Daiwor Woah-Tee, 51, of Belcamp, and Dekwii Woah-Tee, 46, of Rosedale, face allegations of conspiring to defraud government agencies out of more than $1 million by filing fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. This endeavor was underscored by the increased availability of funds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office press release, the indictment, which includes counts of wire fraud conspiracy and identity theft, was unsealed following the defendants' arrest. Initially, the indictment had been sealed when returned by a federal grand jury on February 1. Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, and officials from the Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security played critical roles in the investigation leading up to this point.
The indictment submitted details that from March 2020 through September 2021, the defendants leveraged stolen personal information to submit applications for unemployment insurance through the Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL). This misuse of personal information, such as Social Security Numbers and dates of birth, enabled them to funnel over $1,000,000 in unemployment benefits to themselves illicitly.
The extensive aid introduced by federal programs like the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA) during the COVID-19 pandemic, intended to support Americans in financial distress, instead served as a platform for fraud. The Woah-Tees could receive up to 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud conspiracy if found guilty. Additionally, aggravated identity theft requires two years to run consecutively with other sentences. However, actual sentencing will be up to a federal district court judge after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
U.S. Attorney Barron praised the collaborative investigation efforts of the Labor Department, Homeland Security, and IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John D’Amico and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared W. Murphy were acknowledged for their prosecutorial roles in the federal case. The public is encouraged to contribute to ongoing fraud prevention efforts by reporting suspected fraud involving COVID-19 to the National Center for Disaster Fraud.
