Middlesex Woman Jailed 2 Years for COVID-19 Jobless Scam

A Middlesex County woman has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for conspiring to steal over $400,000 in COVID-19 unemployment benefits.

Yanira Abreu, 42, of Keasbey, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court. Abreu and her co-conspirators submitted fake applications for unemployment insurance benefits to the New York Department of Labor using stolen personal identifiable information.

From July 2020 through February 2021, Abreu and her co-conspirators obtained debit cards with $444,728 in illegally obtained funds, which they used for personal gain. Abreu’s co-conspirators include Christopher Valerio, 33, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and Jose Tavares of New York, who remains charged and awaits trial.

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Abreu’s sentence, crediting special agents of Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their investigation. The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force led the effort, which focused on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud.

Abreu was also sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay $444,728 in restitution and forfeiture. Her co-conspirators, including Valerio, have received similar sentences. The case remains under investigation, with anyone having information about COVID-19 fraud encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. The charges against Jose Tavares are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.