A Passaic County attorney has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining over $300,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced the sentencing of Morton Chirnomas, a 62-year-old resident of Clifton, New Jersey. Chirnomas had previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn, who delivered the sentence at Camden federal court.
Chirnomas is also required to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. According to court documents and statements, between May and September 2020, Chirnomas secured a $150,000 loan through the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans program by fraudulent means. Additionally, he obtained $200,000 in unemployment insurance benefits using other people's identities without their consent.
The investigation that led to this sentencing was credited to postal inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark under Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen; special agents from the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General's Northeast Region led by Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone; and special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan from the Cybercrime Unit in Newark represented the government in this case.
The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is part of a nationwide effort established by the U.S. Department of Justice to tackle pandemic-related fraud on a large scale. These strike forces target significant multi-state frauds conducted by criminal organizations and transnational actors through interagency law enforcement collaboration.
The public can report information regarding attempted COVID-19 fraud by contacting the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or using their online complaint form.
Defense counsel for Morton Chirnomas was Saverio A. Viggiano from Newark, New Jersey.
