Collins Bozil, a 26-year-old resident of Albany, has entered a guilty plea to charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and forging endorsements on Treasury checks. These charges stem from his fraudulent acquisition of pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits and the purchase of stolen tax refund checks issued by the United States Treasury.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, along with Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Region for the United States Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG), Jeffrey Burr, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office for the United States Secret Service (USSS), and Michael Carpenter, Special Agent in Charge for the Northeast Field Division at the Department of the Treasury's Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
Bozil admitted to illegally obtaining over $143,000 in unemployment insurance benefits between April 2020 and April 2021. He used cryptocurrency to buy personal identifying information (PII) from five individuals and used this stolen PII to apply for unemployment benefits through the New York State Department of Labor.
Additionally, Bozil confessed to purchasing five stolen tax refund checks valued at more than $9,000. He falsely endorsed these checks before depositing them into bank accounts he controlled.
As part of his plea agreement, Bozil has agreed to pay restitution amounting to $143,178 to New York State, $3,225 to the United States Department of Treasury, and $6,075 to those whose identities were stolen.
Bozil is facing a potential prison sentence ranging from two years up to twenty years. He may also be fined up to $250,000 and could be subject to a supervised release term lasting up to three years. The final sentence will be determined by a judge based on statutory guidelines and other relevant factors.
The investigation was conducted by USDOL-OIG, USSS, and TIGTA. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew M. Paulbeck and Joseph S. Hartunian are handling prosecution duties in this case.
