A Louisville couple has been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and disaster fraud. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, along with officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG), the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
According to court documents, Yeniseis Saavedra, aged 35, received a sentence on May 28, 2025, consisting of three years and six months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. She faced charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, making a false statement, two counts of disaster fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Alien Saavedra, aged 36, was sentenced on May 20, 2025, to one day in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and disaster fraud.
The couple's fraudulent activities spanned from 2019 to 2020. They defrauded trucking loan companies by submitting false bills of lading and filed for lost wage assistance payments under a Presidential Memorandum due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the Kentucky Office of Unemployment. These filings were done without disclosing Alien Saavedra's income from the motor carrier industry.
In addition to these charges, Yeniseis Saavedra falsely filed an application with the United States Department of Transportation on behalf of another individual identified as C.S., who was unaware that their identity was being used for operating a trucking company or filing for lost wage assistance payments.
Yeniseis Saavedra also committed aggravated identity theft by using C.S.'s identity without authorization to obtain lost wage assistance payments which were deposited into her controlled bank account.
There is no parole available in the federal system. Alien Saavedra has been ordered to pay restitution amounting to $111,143.78 while Yeniseis Saavedra must pay $156,147.78.
The investigation involved DOT-OIG, HHS-OIG, and USPIS with Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Ansari prosecuting the case.
