Bryan Abraham, a Brooklyn resident, was sentenced to 60 months in prison by United States District Judge William F. Kuntz, II for his involvement in a COVID-19 unemployment fraud scheme. The court also ordered Abraham to forfeit and pay restitution amounting to $579,862. Abraham had previously pleaded guilty in January 2023.
The sentencing was announced by Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, alongside Edward Gallashaw, Acting Inspector in Charge at the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). Nocella emphasized the commitment of his office to hold accountable those who exploit public funds meant for pandemic relief. He expressed gratitude towards the New York City Police Department and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General for their assistance.
Gallashaw noted that postal inspectors have been actively investigating pandemic-related frauds conducted via U.S. Mail and highlighted that those involved would face consequences.
Court documents revealed that between June 2020 and April 2021, Abraham and his co-conspirators exploited relaxed unemployment benefit requirements during the pandemic to defraud over $1.75 million from the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL). They filed fraudulent claims using personal information purchased through encrypted applications like Telegram. The proceeds were deposited into controlled bank accounts or received via KeyBank debit cards.
Abraham's co-defendants included Armani Miller, Seth Golding, Gianni Stewart, Andrew Ruddock, Angel Cabrera, and Carlos Vazquez. Sentences varied among them with Miller and Golding receiving 57 months each for conspiracy charges while Stewart received a 24-month sentence. Ruddock was sentenced to probation for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business involving cryptocurrency sales to co-conspirators. Cabrera and Vazquez await sentencing after pleading guilty to related charges.
The case is being managed by the Business and Securities Fraud Section of the Office with Assistant United States Attorney Tara B. McGrath leading the prosecution supported by Assistant United States Attorney Brendan G. King from the Asset Recovery Section.
