BALTIMORE — An investigation carried out by Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) Baltimore, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division, the U.S. Division of Labor’s Workplace of Inspector Basic, and the U.S. Division of the Treasury’s Workplace of Inspector Basic led to a Hyattsville, Maryland man pleading responsible to his half in a scheme to fraudulently receive at the very least $1.3 million in COVID-19 emergency reduction advantages.
Gladstone Njokem, 36, pleaded responsible to federal expenses of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identification theft on Feb. 3, in reference to a scheme to fraudulently receive greater than $1.3 million in Coronavirus Support, Aid, and Financial Safety (CARES) Act unemployment insurance coverage advantages.
“Gladstone Njokem and his co-conspirators exploited the uncertainty attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. They deceived practically 200 harmless folks throughout this nation to illegally receive cash that was supposed to supply support to victims of the pandemic,” stated HSI Baltimore Particular Agent in Cost James C. Harris. “HSI Baltimore will proceed to exhaust each useful resource at our disposal to make sure criminals like Njokem shall be held accountable for his or her actions.”
Enacted in March 2020, the CARES Act supplied emergency monetary help to People affected by the financial results attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. It expanded states’ skill to supply unemployment insurance coverage for a lot of staff impacted by the pandemic, together with for staff who weren’t ordinarily eligible for unemployment advantages.
In keeping with the joint investigation, from February 2020 by February 2021, Njokem and his co-defendants conspired to impersonate victims to acquire cash, together with by submitting fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance coverage advantages. Njokem and his co-conspirators collected victims’ private identifiable info, with out the victims’ data or consent, then shared it between themselves and with others to facilitate the fraud. Then, they used the victims’ info to submit fraudulent functions for unemployment insurance coverage advantages in Maryland, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
In complete, Njokem and his co-conspirators utilized for at the very least $1,313,325 in unemployment insurance coverage advantages utilizing the names and private identifiable info of greater than 183 victims. Regulation enforcement officers traced the knowledge to Njokem’s conspiracy based mostly on widespread IP addresses, mailing addresses and e mail addresses used for the fraudulent unemployment insurance coverage claims.
Njokem’s is predicted to serve between 24 and 70 months in federal jail. His sentencing has been scheduled for Could 17.
Co-defendants Martin Tabe, 34, of Bowie, Maryland and Sylvester Atekwane, 33, of Hyattsville, Maryland beforehand pleaded responsible to their roles within the fraud scheme and shall be sentenced within the coming months.
This was a joint COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Job Drive investigation carried out by HSI Baltimore, the U.S. Postal Service’s Washington Division, the Division of Labor’s Workplace of Inspector Basic, and the U.S. Division of the Treasury’s Workplace of Inspector Basic with important help from the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the District of Maryland, the Prince George’s County Police Division, the Baltimore County Police Division and the Maryland Division of Labor.
Established in Could 2021, the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Job Drive marshals the sources of cooperating law-enforcement businesses throughout authorities to reinforce efforts to fight and forestall pandemic-related fraud. The Job Drive bolsters efforts to research and prosecute essentially the most culpable home and worldwide prison actors and assists businesses tasked with administering reduction packages to stop fraud by, amongst different strategies, augmenting and incorporating present coordination mechanisms, figuring out sources and strategies to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing info and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.
Anybody with details about allegations of tried fraud involving COVID-19 can report it to HSI by calling the HSI tip line at 866-347-2423. The HSI tip line is manned 24 hours a day.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Division of Homeland Safety (DHS), chargeable for investigating transnational crime and threats, particularly these prison organizations that exploit the worldwide infrastructure by which worldwide commerce, journey, and finance transfer. HSI’s workforce of greater than 8,700 staff consists of greater than 6,000 particular brokers assigned to 237 cities all through the USA, and 93 abroad places in 56 nations. HSI’s worldwide presence represents DHS’s largest investigative legislation enforcement presence overseas and one of many largest worldwide footprints in U.S. legislation enforcement.
