Today, U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby sentenced Alonzo Brown of Richmond, Virginia, to 45 months in federal prison for his involvement in a scheme to defraud state workforce agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following his prison term, Brown will be subject to three years of supervised release. He has also been ordered to pay $310,428.08 in restitution and forfeit assets gained from the fraudulent activities.
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter from the IRS Criminal Investigation Washington Field Office.
According to court documents, Brown conspired with Michael Cooley and Isiah Lewis from Prince George’s County, Maryland, to execute a scheme that defrauded individuals and state agencies in Maryland and California out of over $800,000 in unemployment insurance benefits. They successfully obtained more than $300,000 using personal identifiable information from over 60 individuals.
In April, Cooley received an 87-month federal prison sentence for his role in the fraud.
This case is part of the District of Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force's efforts to combat large-scale pandemic relief frauds under the CARES Act. The act was intended to provide financial assistance during the pandemic. The strike force is one of five across the United States aimed at prosecuting COVID-19 related frauds.
For further details on pandemic response efforts or to report suspected fraud involving COVID-19 funds, visit justice.gov/coronavirus or contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline.
U.S. Attorney Hayes acknowledged the investigative work done by DOL-OIG and IRS-CI and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bijon A. Mostoufi and Jared M. Beim for prosecuting this case.
