Stevenson Woman Sentenced for COVID-19 Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.
A woman residing in Stevenson, Alabama will be faced with prison time following her conviction in a elaborate scheme that defrauded numerous states out of their COVID-19 unemployment relief funds. On Wednesday, 29-year-old Meghan Pittman learned that she will spend the forthcoming 18 months in federal prison and serve 5 years of probation.
Pittman’s Role in the Fraud Scheme
From June 2020 to June 2021, the court heard that Pittman conspired with accomplices to dupe four states, namely Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, and California, to secure COVID unemployment relief monies improperly. United States District Judge Curtis Collier handed down the sentence following her conviction.
According to data revealed by the U.S. Department of Justice, Pittman acquired personal information from unsuspecting victims and manipulated the data to file mass online applications for unemployment insurance relief, marked for those affected by the pandemic.
The Modus Operandi
Pittman falsely claimed in the applications that the people whose personal data was used in the applications had been employed in the states from which she claimed the relief funds. The four states, trusting the validity of the claims, sent debit cards loaded with the relief funds to addresses found within the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Pittman would then receive a portion of the fraudulent claims filed. This scam allowed her to distribute more than $85,000 of unemployment insurance relief funds illegally, while the entire operation swindled an alarming sum close to $550,000.
Guilty as Charged
Demonstrating her honesty to some degree, Pittman pled guilty to charges of wire fraud, consistent with the plea agreement she struck with the court. Sentencing took account of this plea.
