Unemployment Benefit Scammers go to Federal Prison

According to the feds.."U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Yaw Bempa-Boateng, age 35, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 30 months in prison; and sentenced Carmen Benitez, age 29, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Dulce Oleo, age 39, of the Bronx, New York, each to 18 months in prison, for a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain over $1.4 million in unemployment benefits.  Judge Hollander also ordered that Bempa-Boateng, Benitez and Oleo serve three years of supervised release following their prison sentence, and that they forfeit and pay restitution of: $801,710.40; $388,878; and $191,122, respectively.

The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Robin Blake, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General; and Postal Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division.

According to their plea agreements, from 2012 to 2015, Bempa-Boateng, Benitez, and Oleo conspired with Diameter Akala and others to cause the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), which administered the unemployment insurance benefit programs in their respective states, to issue fraudulent unemployment by submitting false applications for monetary benefits.

Oleo, her son Wilfred Mendez, and other members of the conspiracy obtained the personally identifying information (PII) of individuals, including Maryland residents.  Akala filed false documentation with DLLR and DLI in the names of fictitious companies, falsely stating that the fictitious companies employed and paid wages to actual individuals. In fact, no unemployment insurance taxes were ever paid to DLLR or DLI in the names of the fictitious companies.  Akala, electronically and by phone, filed claims in Maryland and Pennsylvania for unemployment benefits in his own name and the names of other individuals, including his cousin, Benitez, and Bempa-Boateng, falsely claiming that they previously worked for those fictitious companies. Akala used the PII of individuals who had given permission to have their information used, as well as many who did not. 

Akala and other members of the conspiracy used residential mailing addresses of Bempa-Boateng, Benitzez and Oleo, as well as other co-conspirators in Maryland, New York, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and Virginia to register and receive correspondence for the fictitious companies, and apply for and receive unemployment benefits in the form of prepaid debit cards.  In exchange for the use of their addresses, the co-conspirators received funds obtained through the fraud, typically in the form of a fraudulently obtained prepaid debit card.  The members of the conspiracy regularly contacted DLLR and DLI, falsely representing themselves either to be a representative of one of the fictitious companies or an individual entitled to unemployment benefits.  Akala moved between different states in order to retrieve correspondence addressed to fictitious companies and individuals, including prepaid debit cards issued by DLLR and DLI.

Bempa-Boateng, Benitez and co-conspirators Wilfred Mendez, Tawana McClain, Ferny Alexander Moreno Puente, Wilfredo Torres and his half-brother, Eric Gonzalez, agreed to have Akala file fraudulent unemployment claims in their names.  Oleo, Mendez, Moreno Puente and Torres also provided the personal identification information and/or addresses of other individuals to file additional false claims in the names of those individuals, and others. The co-conspirators used the fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits prepaid debit cards that were mailed directly to them or provided to them by Akala, at ATMs or stores in order to withdraw and use the funds.  Some of the cards were in their names, but some of the cards were in the names of other individuals. Generally, the conspirators kept a portion of the fraudulently obtained funds for themselves and provided the remainder to Akala.  Torres also allowed his business address to be used to file fraudulent unemployment benefit claims and when the unemployment benefits debit cards arrived, he either used them or distributed them to co-conspirators. 

During the course of the conspiracy the actual loss was approximately $1,468,463.80 in fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits. 

Diameter Akala, age 43, of Silver Spring, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and New York, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and  a mandatory minimum of two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, for aggravated identity theft. As part of his plea agreement, Akala will also be required to pay restitution and forfeiture in the full amount of the loss, approximately $1,468,463.80. Judge Hollander has scheduled sentencing for Akala on August 4, 2016, at 10:00 a.m.

Oleo’s son, Wilfred Mendez, age 21, of Bronx, New York; Eric Gonzalez, age 34, of Alexandria, Virginia; Tawana McClain, age 51, of Washington, D.C.; Ferny Alexander Moreno Puente, age 26, of Gaithersburg, Maryland; and Wilfredo Torres, age 36, of Alexandria, Virginia, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme and are awaiting sentencing."

The name Boateng sounds Ghanian. How do I know? Since I practiced immigration law. Other names are Latin and African American. What did these thieves think that they can make money by fraud? The laws of nature will take you down. I went the route of immigration fraud and got a five year sentence. I write about it here...https://www.amazon.com/PRISON-expect-Federal-Bureau-Prisons-ebook/dp/B011GTWLOG