Zachary T. Lee Acting United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia
The final defendant in a 17-person conspiracy to defraud the United States through fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims has been sentenced. Jason Dale Worley, 47, of Meadowview, Virginia, received a sentence of 12 months and one day in prison on October 9, 2025. He was also ordered to pay $9,698 in restitution to the Virginia Employment Commission.
This sentencing concludes a case involving multiple individuals who filed false claims for pandemic unemployment benefits using personal information from inmates and acquaintances. The group used this information to file fraudulent applications via the Virginia Employment Commission website between March 2020 and September 2021.
Crystal Shaw, identified as one of the lead organizers of the scheme, was previously sentenced to five years in federal prison and ordered to pay $287,459 in restitution. Other co-defendants received sentences ranging from 12 months and one day up to four years. Jonathan Webb, responsible for recruiting others—primarily inmates—to participate in the fraud, was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay $150,218 in restitution. Josef Brown received a sentence of nearly three years with an order to repay $119,660.
In total, the conspiracy resulted in $341,205 being stolen from pandemic relief funds intended for those eligible for assistance during COVID-19.
All defendants were ordered by the court to make restitution payments corresponding with their fraudulent activity.
The investigation was led by the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery as part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Task Force. This committee coordinates efforts among Inspectors General across agencies to address risks related to COVID-19 spending oversight. According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor, approximately $1.1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims were paid out by Virginia between April 2020 and March 2021 (https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20210610).
The case announcement came from Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci; Ian Kaufman, Special Agent in Charge of FBI’s Richmond Division; Syreeta Scott from DOL-OIG; and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Supporting agencies included local law enforcement such as Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office and Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority along with federal partners including FBI and U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.
Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen and Assistant United States Attorney Danielle Stone prosecuted the case.
