A Detroit man has been sentenced in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, on charges connected to the theft of $1.6 million in unemployment insurance benefits from nine states.
Jordan Armstrong, 29, of Detroit, was sentenced by United States District Judge Victoria A. Roberts; a Wednesday news release from the U.S. District Court in Detroit said. Armstrong was sentenced to 41 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,611,202; United States attorney Dawn N. Ison said in the release.
"Today's sentence is another example of our ongoing efforts to investigate and prosecute the unprecedented theft of unemployment insurance benefits that occurred during the pandemic," Isom said in the release. "These expanded unemployment insurance benefits were intended as a lifeline for those needing help during a time of great stress and uncertainty. We will continue to hold the individuals who stole those monies accountable."
Citing court records, the release noted that from May 2020 to October 2020 Armstrong submitted fraudulent applications for unemployment benefits without the approval of individuals in the states of Arizona, California, Michigan, Louisiana, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas and Tennessee.
Armstrong used Social Security numbers and other personal information to submit the claims and then ordered the benefits to be paid to debit cards that he repeatedly used to get money from ATMs in Detroit, the release said.
Armstrong's scam took advantage of programs that were in place to support small businesses and unemployed individuals, siphoning off needed funds during the pandemic; Josh Hauxhurst, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit Division, said in the release.
