A man and woman from Forrest County, Mississippi, have admitted to conspiring to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Artista Garner, 36, of Hattiesburg, helped her brother Thaddieus Cooper, 31, apply for benefits through the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. Cooper was not eligible for these benefits as he was serving a six-year sentence in the Mississippi Department of Corrections for armed robbery.
The funds were federally subsidized under the CARES Act. Garner used some of the money for personal expenses and transferred part of it to Cooper's commissary fund.
On September 10, 2024, a federal grand jury indicted both siblings. They pled guilty on January 30, 2025, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Their sentencing is set for June 12, 2025. Each faces up to 20 years in prison.
The announcement came from Acting United States Attorney Patrick A. Lemon, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General and the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is handling prosecution duties.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force (NUIFTF), established to combat widespread unemployment insurance fraud during the pandemic. The task force includes multiple agencies working together with state workforce agencies and financial institutions.
The CARES Act was enacted on March 29, 2020, providing emergency financial assistance due to COVID-19's economic impact and expanding unemployment insurance eligibility.
Reports about attempted COVID-19-related fraud can be made by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866‑720‑5721 or via their online complaint form.
