Two men from Dunkirk, New York, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and theft of government funds. U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that Lamont Brown, 37, and Jesus Ramos, 41, face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, the indictment alleges that between July and October 2020, during the Covid pandemic, Brown and Ramos conspired with others to obtain unemployment insurance benefits fraudulently from the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources. "Brown and Ramos recruited individuals who had never lived or worked in Puerto Rico to use their personally identifiable information (“PII”), including their names, social security numbers, and dates of birth, to apply for, obtain, and attempt to obtain Unemployment Insurance benefits from the Puerto Rico Department of Labor," Wright stated.
The indictment further alleges that Brown and Ramos provided this personal information to people in Puerto Rico who completed applications for unemployment insurance benefits. The defendants then used existing bank accounts or opened new ones at institutions such as Lake Shore Savings Bank, Key Bank, and Inner Lakes Federal Credit Union to deposit the proceeds.
Authorities say Brown and Ramos stole or attempted to steal $67,000 from the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources.
Both men were arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and released on conditions.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations under Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General under Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone for the Northeast Region.
"The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty."
