Bryan Alan Sparks, Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, Washington 2023

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Table of Contents

Seattle Man Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Benefit Scam

A former Seattle resident who defrauded federal COVID-19 benefit programs of more than $1 million pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.

Bryan Alan Sparks, 42, was indicted for the fraud scheme in November 2021. Today Sparks pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. His co-conspirator Autumn Gail Luna, 23, pleaded guilty in December 2022.

Sparks is scheduled for sentencing by U.S. District Judge James L. Robart on April 18, 2023. According to records filed in the case, from March 2020 until at least January 2021, Sparks and Luna used stolen personal information of more than 50 Washington residents and businesses to apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and unemployment benefits from the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD).

The pair obtained approximately $521,900 from SBA and $519,700 from ESD. Sparks and Luna opened fraudulent bank accounts to receive the benefits and also had unemployment benefit debit cards mailed to a variety of addresses in the Seattle area where they could retrieve them.

Specifically, Sparks and Luna submitted at least 29 fraudulent loan applications to the Small Business Administration relief program, using the stolen identities of Washington residents and other real people. The applications sought approximately $1.47 million in aid intended to support small businesses, and the pair successfully obtained $521,900. Between March 2020 and January 2021, Sparks and Luna used the stolen identities of more than 50 people to claim approximately $519,700 in unemployment benefits.

In all Sparks and Luna attempted to obtain at least $1.98 million in federally funded payments. Sparks and Luna used the identities of real people and, in some instances, actual small businesses to open bank and credit accounts. The victims suffered significant harm. One person saw his credit score drop 200 points because of the seven credit and bank accounts the pair opened in his name.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend no more than 100 months in prison. The defense will recommend no less than five years in prison (60 months). U.S. District Judge James L. Robart is not bound by the recommendation and can impose any sentence allowed by statute.