Audri Ford-Victory, Unemployment Fraud, Massachusetts 2021

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Table of Contents

COVID-19 Unemployment Fraud Scheme Exposed

Audri Ford-Victory, 61, a resident of Springfield, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy in connection with her involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19-related unemployment assistance. The scheme resulted in over $1.2 million in payments.

According to the investigation, Ford-Victory and her co-conspirator submitted more than 100 fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims to the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance. Approximately half of the PUA claims were made on behalf of individuals residing outside of Massachusetts. In some instances, Ford-Victory and her co-conspirator received kickback payments for doing so.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) created a temporary federal unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This program provides unemployment insurance benefits for individuals who are not eligible for other types of unemployment benefits.

Ford-Victory was charged on December 15, 2021. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for June 1, 2022. The charge of wire fraud conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, established by the Attorney General on May 17, 2021, has been working to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.