A Virginia woman pleaded guilty on Mar. 18 to tampering with evidence after attempting to help her boyfriend, who was charged in a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits fraud scheme.
Dominique Collins, 38, of Stafford, Virginia, admitted in federal court that she tried to alter an email account connected to the case at the request of her boyfriend, Brendyn Andrew, 34, of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Andrew had been arrested and detained at the Chesapeake Detention Facility in Baltimore.
According to the plea agreement, Collins spoke with Andrew by phone while he was in custody in March 2025. During their conversation, Andrew asked Collins to delete a Google email account so it could not be used as evidence in an official proceeding. Collins then submitted a deletion request for the account.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland announced the guilty plea along with Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General Northeast Region and Special Agent in Charge David Richeson from the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service Washington Field Office.
Collins faces up to 20 years in prison and is scheduled for sentencing on July 2 at 9:30 a.m. Andrew previously pleaded guilty in January 2026 to multiple charges including SNAP benefits fraud, possessing unauthorized access devices, aggravated identity theft, passport fraud, and witness tampering; his sentencing is set for May 22 at 9:30 a.m.
Hayes thanked USDA-OIG and DSS for their work on the investigation as well as the Montgomery County Police Department for its assistance. She also recognized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon and Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy for prosecuting the case.
