2 years ago
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A Lawrence pistillate who utilized a notebook afloat of people's addresses and different idiosyncratic accusation to cod much than $360,000 successful fraudulent Massachusetts pandemic unemployment claims was sentenced to 3 years successful national situation yesterday, the US Attorney's bureau reports.
Separately, a Rhode Island antheral was arrested yesterday connected charges helium obtained much than $450,000 successful Massachusetts unemployment meant for pandemic victims, the US Attorneys bureau besides reports.
Raquel Pena, 40, of Lawrence, was sentenced successful US District Court successful Boston aft pleading blameworthy to ligament fraud and aggravated individuality theft connected July 15.
According to an affidavit by an FBI cause connected her case, Pena utilized different people's accusation to unfastened astatine slightest 11 bogus accounts with the authorities Department of Unemployment Assistance, which past paid retired the wealth to the accounts for pandemic-related unemployment. A fig of the accounts were successful the names of radical successful Puerto Rico, who told investigators they had ne'er applied for Massachusetts unemployment and didn't cognize Pena.
Pena was undone successful portion by WhatsApp substance and dependable messages that immoderate of the radical allegedly moving with her connected the strategy recorded and past handed implicit to the FBI. Among the radical she allegedly coordinated the strategy with: Her erstwhile boyfriend, her daughter's fellow and a erstwhile roommate. The accomplices acceptable up respective of the authorities unemployment accounts, had the authorities wealth transferred to their slope accounts and past would manus implicit currency to Pena, little immoderate wealth arsenic a "gift," according to the affidavit.
Pena would get connected the enactment with accomplices erstwhile they applied for their authorities accounts - truthful that they could promptly springiness her the verification codes the authorities sent retired to unfastened the accounts, which she would past enter.
The adjacent day, May 9, 2020, Witness 2 told Pena via WhatsApp, "the wealth came in" and "I'll springiness you the wealth later." Pena responded, "that's great, sweetie" and instructed Witness 2 to "take it each retired and stash it" and "don't permission it successful the bank."
The affidavit recounts a WhatsApp speech betwixt Pena and idiosyncratic who didn't privation to enactment - but who agreed to find radical who mightiness privation to assistance out:
I person here, similar 40 oregon 50 numbers. You hear? If [a idiosyncratic who cooperated with the feds] is looking for accounts, I don't person to look for accounts outside. [The cooperating witness] has made a ton of money. Here, everyone is making - Here, nary 1 has a need.
According to the US Attorney's office, Dquintz Alexander, 34, of Cranston, RI, cooked up an unemployment fraud strategy with his employer, Norman Higgs of Dudley, conscionable with less co-conspirators. Higgs pleaded blameworthy connected Sept. 17 and who is present awaiting sentencing.
According to Alexander's indictment, the 2 utilized names, social-security numbers and bank-account accusation to unfastened 85 fake accounts with DUA and past judge payments - aft switching the slope accounts to ones opened by Higgs.
Higgs ran a telecommunications firm, truthful the 2 utilized much blase techniques than Pena to debar suspicion, including extended usage of virtual backstage networks, VoIP telephone numbers and identity-shielding email services, specified arsenic ProtonMail, according to the US Attorney's office. Higgs served arsenic a middleman - the accounts would funnel wealth to him, and helium would transportation the wealth to Alexander, little a outgo for his services.
According to the indictment, they utilized the wealth to wage disconnected their credit-card bills and to unfastened up online digital-currency and brokerage accounts for investing.
Affidavit successful Pena case (5.6M PDF).
Alexander indictment (865k PDF).
English (US) ·