Bryan Abraham, a Brooklyn man, was recently sentenced to five years in jail for his role in a $1.75 million Covid-19 unemployment fraud scheme. Along with the prison sentence, Judge William F. Kuntz II ordered Abraham to forfeit nearly half a million dollars and pay an equal sum in restitution. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Abraham’s sentence comes after his guilty plea in January 2023.
Abraham and his associates took advantage of loose unemployment benefit restrictions during the COVID-19 outbreak, defrauding the New York State Department of Labor. According to a Justice Department study, the fraudsters moved rapidly with their scam, snatching the identities of over 250 victims. Abraham was responsible for fraudulent claims totaling more than $579,862, which were made using data purchased through encrypted apps such as Telegram.
United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. denounced the conduct, saying, “Today’s sentence is a reminder that there is no free pass for fraudsters like the defendant who shamefully stole public funds intended to alleviate the suffering of New Yorkers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.” He committed to continuing to dismantle similar plots and holding the perpetrators accountable, as documented by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The case was a combined operation, involving help from the New York City Police Department and the United States Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.
Edward Gallashaw, acting inspector in charge of the USPIS, emphasized the agency’s commitment to investigating pandemic-related fraud. “These individuals unfortunately thought they could exploit government unemployment benefits and get away with it and will now rightly serve the consequence for their actions,” he said in a statement obtained by the Eastern District of New York’s Attorney’s Office. The operation entailed filing phony unemployment claims with stolen personal information and then withdrawing cash from ATMs with reloadable debit cards connected to the fraudulent accounts.
Several co-defendants were accused alongside Abraham and received varying punishments. Armani Miller and Seth Golding received 57-month sentences, while Gianni Stewart received 24 months for their involvement. Andrew Ruddock received probation for his role in running an unauthorized money transferring business that aided the group’s cryptocurrency operations. Angel Cabrera, who pled guilty, and Carlos Vazquez, who admitted to aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit access device fraud, are awaiting their judgments. Assistant United States Attorney Tara B. McGrath headed the prosecution, assisted by Brendan G. King of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section.
