VA Inmates Swindled $220K in Pandemic Fraud

NORFOLK, Va. — A stunning revelation in the ongoing COVID-19 fraud saga: two incarcerated individuals have admitted to masterminding a scheme that swindled over $220,000 from pandemic unemployment benefits.

Mark Hilliard, 36, and Elvon George, 33, both inmates at Greensville Correctional Center during the fraud period, are now facing serious charges. They reportedly collected personal identifiable information (PII) of fellow inmates and utilized it to file fraudulent unemployment insurance claims through outside facilitators.

This elaborate scheme exploited the expansion of unemployment benefits in 2020 by Congress and the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC). The expanded benefits were intended to alleviate financial hardships for gig workers, the self-employed, and others whose employment status was difficult to verify. Hilliard and George’s actions resulted in a massive loss, exceeding $220,000.

Hilliard pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with major disaster benefits and is set to be sentenced on April 19, 2022. His co-conspirator, George, also entered a guilty plea for the same charge and will face sentencing on March 31, 2022. Both men could receive up to five years in prison, though actual sentences are typically less severe.

The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, Acting-Special-Agent-in-Charge Troy Springer of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security. The plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gantt is handling the prosecution of this case. For more information or related court documents, visit the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Eastern District of Virginia or search Case No. 2:21-cr-111 on PACER.