Isiah Lewis, a 35-year-old resident of Prince George’s County, Maryland, has been sentenced to 53 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The case involved a scheme to defraud the Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL) and California Employment Development Department (CA-EDD) of unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to court documents, Lewis worked with Michael Cooley, Jr., 26, also from Prince George’s County, and Alonzo Brown, 28, of Richmond, Virginia. Together they used personal information from over 60 individuals—including names, dates of birth, and social security numbers—to file fraudulent online applications for unemployment benefits in both states.
The group’s activities took place between June 2020 and March 2021. In total, the conspirators attempted to obtain more than $800,000 in benefits and successfully received over $300,000. The scheme included using anonymous email addresses to conceal their identities.
Judge Griggsby previously sentenced Cooley and Brown to prison terms of 87 months and 45 months respectively. As part of his sentence, Lewis was ordered to pay $310,428.08 in restitution to victims and forfeit assets acquired through the scheme.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes announced the sentencing along with officials from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) and Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “U.S. Attorney Hayes commended DOL-OIG and IRS-CI for their work in the investigation,” according to the announcement.
This prosecution is part of efforts by the District of Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force—a unit established by the U.S. Department of Justice as one of five strike forces nationwide focused on investigating large-scale pandemic relief fraud under programs like the CARES Act. These strike forces use interagency teams led by prosecutors and data analysts to identify those who stole funds meant for economic relief during the pandemic.
For further details about federal responses to pandemic-related fraud or how individuals can report suspected fraud cases involving COVID-19 aid programs such as those created under the CARES Act—including contact information for reporting—visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus or submit tips via https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Additional information about initiatives undertaken by the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at www.justice.gov/usao-md or https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
