Bryan Abraham, Covid-19 Unemployment Fraud, New York 2023

A Brooklyn man was sentenced to 60 months in prison for his role in a $1.75 million Covid-19 unemployment fraud scheme.

Bryan Abraham, 32, was sentenced by United States District Judge William F. Kuntz, II in federal court in Brooklyn for aggravated identity theft and conspiring to commit access device fraud.

Abraham was also ordered to forfeit $579,862 and to pay restitution in that same amount. He pleaded guilty in January 2023.

According to the indictment, Abraham and his co-conspirators capitalized on the relaxed requirements for claiming unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud the New York State Department of Labor out of more than $1.75 million in unemployment benefits in the names of approximately 250 victims.

Abraham was personally responsible for fraudulent claims in the names of at least 78 victims, for which benefits in excess of $579,862 were paid.

Abraham and his co-conspirators purchased personal identifying information (PII) of victims through end-to-end encrypted applications like Telegram, and then used the victims’ PII to make fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits. Funds from the fraudulent claims were deposited into bank accounts they controlled or were provided via reloadable KeyBank debit cards, which they had mailed to addresses they could access.

The scheme was uncovered by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, and the New York City Police Department, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorney Tara B. McGrath is in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Assistant United States Attorney [Assistant United States Attorney’s name redacted].

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