Stevenson Woman Receives Sentence for COVID-19 Fraud Scheme
On Wednesday, a resident from Stevenson, Alabama was condemned to federal imprisonment due to her involvement in a fraudulent scheme aimed at defrauding four states of COVID-19 unemployment relief funds. The United States District Judge Curtis Collier in Federal court in Chattanooga decreed that Meghan Pittman, 29, will serve an 18-month term followed by a 5-year probation period.
Details of the Scheme
From June 2020 through June 2021, Pittman and her associates hatched a plot to siphon off the COVID-19 relief funds allocated by Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, and California. According to an official release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Pittman acquired personal data from individuals and used this information to apply for unemployment relief payments online.
Pittman purported in the applications that these individuals were gainfully employed within those states. These applications prompted the states in question to post debit cards carrying unemployment relief funds to particular addresses within Tennessee’s Eastern District where Pittman had access.
Mounting Fraudulent Transactions and Consequences
Pittman received a cut from the fraudulent claims’ yield. Following an extensive investigation, it was uncovered that Pittman successfully managed to defraud over $85,000 from the unemployment insurance protection funds for personal gain. The entire operation aimed at exploiting the emergency relief intended for struggling individuals during the national pandemic grossly mishandled about $550,000.
Pittman accepted the consequences of her unlawful actions before the court and agreed to on the terms of her sentence, as documented in the plea agreement. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud, leading to her 18-month imprisonment sentence and subsequent probation.
This case serves as yet another example of unscrupulous individuals seeking to benefit from the plight of those genuinely impacted during the acute period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authorities’ continuous efforts to expose fraudulent practices and hold such individuals accountable underpins the commitment to justice and fair distribution of essential resources during times of crisis.
Reported by HERE News Network.
