Three Michigan residents defrauded taxpayers of nearly $630,000 in coronavirus unemployment relief funds from four states in a matter of months, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday.
FBI investigators traced fraud cases to a Pennsylvania pastor whose identity was stolen in an unemployment filing, and a Texas victim whose name was used to file for benefits in California.
The various schemes relied on Social Security number theft, made-up or hijacked names, prepaid bank cards and holes in state unemployment insurance verification processes.
Federal law enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 20, arrested 28-year-old Jordan Armstrong of Detroit. He’s charged with federal felony