Expand AllClick here for a more accessible versionFraud in the News Archive
Owner & Salesman at RC Auto Sales Indicted in Scheme to Defraud Pandemic Programs
August 2, 2022
PITTSBURGH, PA - Two residents of Connellsville, Pennsylvania have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The five-count Indictment named Joshua Dewitt, 36, and Terrence Newmeyer Jr., 45, both of Connellsville, PA, as defendants.
Feds Charge 19 Defendants with Pandemic Fraud of over $24 Million
June 22, 2022
PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero, together with other federal law enforcement officials announced today charges against 19 defendants for defrauding federal programs funded by the CARES Act and designed to provide a financial safety net for Americans during the pandemic. Collectively these defendants sought to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program of over $24 million.
Five Out-of-State Residents Charged in Defrauding PA's PUA Program
February 15, 2022
HARRISBURG – Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced today that financial crimes agents from the Office of Attorney General, in coordination with federal and local law enforcement, arrested five individuals for allegedly conspiring to provide false information in an attempt to illegally obtain Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act. Three targets are expected to be charged within the next week and one remains at large.
Philadelphia Woman Charged with Money Laundering and Stealing Federal Funds
January 14, 2022
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Myrna Ortiz, 43, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged in a 32-count Indictment in connection with a conspiracy to steal and conceal the origin of fraudulently obtained Social Security benefits and COVID-19 PUA unemployment benefits. The Indictment charges Ortiz with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 31 counts of theft of government funds. She made her initial appearance in federal court on these charges earlier today.
Luzerne County Woman Sentenced for Methamphetamine Trafficking and Pandemic Fraud Offenses
January 6, 2022
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Christina Covey, age 34, formerly of Drums, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to 48 months’ imprisonment for methamphetamine trafficking, and 15 months’ imprisonment for committing pandemic unemployment fraud, five months of which is to run consecutive to the methamphetamine trafficking sentence.
Chester County Man Sentenced to 1.5 Years in Prison for Stealing Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Funds
December 2, 2021
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Jacob Fulton, 33, of Coatesville, PA, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay full restitution by United States District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno for falsely claiming and taking approximately $32,000 in pandemic unemployment compensation authorized by the CARES Act.
Lebanon County Man Pleads Guilty To Fraudulently Obtaining Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
December 1, 2021
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on November 30, 2021, Luis Mercado, age 44, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, pled guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo, to wire fraud for fraudulently claiming pandemic unemployment assistance funds.
Two Federal Inmates Charged with Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Fraud
September 22, 2021
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christina Covey, age 34, formerly of Drums, Pennsylvania, and Fredy Mendoza, age 33, formerly of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, were charged yesterday by a federal grand jury with fraudulently obtaining pandemic unemployment benefits between July and October 2020.
Social Security Employee Charged with Pandemic Fraud Scheme
August 13, 2021
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Takiyah Gordon Austin, age 46, of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, was charged in a 29-count Indictment on July 20, 2021, conducting a scheme to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits related to COVID-19 emergency relief funds. The case was unsealed on August 12, 2021, following Austin's initial appearance.
Huntingdon County Woman Pleads Guilty to Aiding Others In Stealing Pandemic Relief Funds
July 21, 2021
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Linda Grubb, age 74, of Hesston, Pennsylvania, pled guilty on July 21, 2021, to wire fraud for her role in a pandemic relief funds fraud scheme.