6 in Northeast Ohio charged in $3M pandemic unemployment fraud

Editor’s Note: The video above is previous coverage on PUA.

CLEVELAND (WJW) – Six people in Northeast Ohio face serious prison time after pleading guilty to Federal Pandemic Unemployment fraud.

According to a press release, all six illegally used other people’s personal identifying information to obtain nearly $3,000,000 in unemployment assistance.

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program was created to provide temporary benefits for workers who lost work during the pandemic for COVID-19-related reasons, starting in 2020.

According to court documents, from March 2020 to August 2021, the defendants, Clarissa Cheney, 30, of Cleveland Heights; Kevin Gilmore, 38, of Beachwood; Tiara Henderson, 37, of Lakewood; Ladessa Battle, 29, of South Euclid; Lynard Mitchell, 39, of South Euclid; and Marcelys Jones, 29, of Cleveland Heights, submitted fraudulent applications for PUA benefits to the California Employment Development Department (EDD) and other state workforce agencies around the country.

The defendants falsified application details, such as employment history and residency, to appear eligible for PUA benefits, according to a press release.

Nearly $3,000,000 in unemployment insurance benefits was issued in the defendants’ names.

“The deliberate and conniving actions to cheat a program designed to assist people who were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic is inexcusable,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge, Greg Nelsen.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in September and October 2024 and face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

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