Portland man gets federal prison for stealing thousands in pandemic unemployment benefits

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — A Portland man was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for stealing hundreds of thousands in pandemic unemployment benefits.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 41-year-old Matthew Kemp was sentenced to 6 months for his role in taking nearly $150,000 in benefits intended for 17 different people between 2020 and 2021.

Some of those people reportedly knew Kemp had used their information to obtain those benefits, because he had promised to obtain them on their behalf. Others, however, were unaware.

To make sure the benefits went to him directly, Kemp requested they be paid out by check or prepaid debit card and put his own mailing address, email address, and phone number on the claims.

He would even call the Oregon Employment Department and impersonate the named applicant if there was a delay in processing the claims.

In early February, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Kemp on charges of mail fraud, bank fraud, and theft of government funds.

In June, he plead guilty to theft of government funds.

After serving his sentence, Kemp will also have three years’ supervised release. Additionally, he was ordered to pay the stolen amount in restitution to the OED.

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