A New Jersey man, Jose Tavares, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain over $570,000 in COVID-19 unemployment benefits. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney John Giordano.
Tavares, aged 37 and residing in Englewood, New Jersey, was convicted on October 28, 2024, of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after a five-day jury trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch. The sentencing took place at the federal court in Trenton. His co-conspirators, Yanira Abreu from Keasbey and Christopher Valerio from Perth Amboy, had previously been sentenced by Judge Kirsch for their roles in the scheme.
Court documents reveal that between July 2020 and February 2021, Tavares along with Valerio, Abreu, and others submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance claims to the New York Department of Labor (NYDOL). They used fictitious online profiles created with personal information such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers obtained without consent. After the NYDOL approved these applications, they received debit cards loaded with funds exceeding $570,000 which were spent on vacations, luxury purchases, and cosmetic surgery.
Judge Kirsch also imposed a three-year supervised release period on Tavares and ordered him to pay $570,077 in restitution.
The investigation leading to this sentencing involved several agencies including special agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Special Agent Ricky J. Patel; the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General under Special Agent Jonathan Mellone; and postal inspectors from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service under Postal Inspector Christopher A. Nielsen.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Stark and Benjamin D. Bleiberg represented the government in this case.
This case is part of efforts by the District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force—one of five established nationwide by the U.S. Department of Justice—to combat large-scale pandemic relief fraud schemes executed by criminal organizations and transnational actors.
Reports regarding attempted COVID-19 related fraud can be directed to the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or through their web complaint form.
Defense counsel representing Tavares were Jeffrey Simms and Roberto Espinosa; Kevin Roe represented Valerio; John Russo represented Abreu.
