A Brooklyn man, Bryan Abraham, was recently sentenced to a five-year prison term for his role in a $1.75 million Covid-19 unemployment fraud case. Along with the prison sentence, Judge William F. Kuntz II also mandated that Abraham forfeit over half a million dollars and pay an equivalent amount in restitution. The sentence follows Abraham's guilty plea earlier in January 2023, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Abraham, along with his accomplices, exploited relaxed unemployment benefit laws during the COVID-19 pandemic, swindling the New York State Department of Labor. According to a report by the Justice Department, the fraudsters managed to quickly advance their scheme, stealing the identities of over 250 victims. For his part, Abraham was responsible for fraudulent claims totaling more than $579,862, using data purchased via encrypted apps like Telegram.
United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. condemned the actions, stating, "Today’s sentence is a reminder that there is no free pass for fraudsters like the defendant who shamefully stole public funds intended to alleviate the suffering of New Yorkers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic." He vowed to continue dismantling similar conspiracies and holding the culprits responsible, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The case was a collaborative effort with assistance from the New York City Police Department and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General.
Acting Inspector in Charge, Edward Gallashaw of the USPIS underscored the commitment to investigate pandemic-related frauds. "These individuals unfortunately thought they could exploit government unemployment benefits and get away with it and will now rightly serve the consequence for their actions," he mentioned in the statement obtained by the Eastern District of New York's Attorney’s Office. The scheme involved making false claims for unemployment benefits using stolen personal information, then withdrawing cash from ATMs with reloadable debit cards linked to the fraudulent accounts.
Several co-defendants were implicated alongside Abraham, receiving varied sentences. Armani Miller and Seth Golding each received a 57-month sentence, while Gianni Stewart received 24 months for their participation. Andrew Ruddock got off with probation for his role in operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, aiding the group's cryptocurrency transactions. Angel Cabrera, who has pleaded guilty, and Carlos Vazquez, who admitted to both aggravated identity theft and conspiring to commit access device fraud, are anticipating their verdicts. The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Tara B. McGrath, with assistance from Brendan G. King of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section.
