Troy Man Pleads Guilty to Unemployment Insurance Scam
A 45-year-old man from Troy, New York, has pleaded guilty to defrauding the state’s unemployment insurance system, including benefits funded by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christopher Ward, also known as ‘Reek,’ admitted to providing the personal identifying information of another individual to Carl J. DiVeglia III, who used it to file a false claim via the New York State Department of Labor website.
The NYSDOL paid out $15,006 in unemployment insurance benefits as a result of the fraudulent application submitted by DiVeglia. Ward agreed to pay $15,006 in restitution to the State of New York as part of his plea agreement.
DiVeglia previously pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining $1.6 million in unemployment insurance benefits as part of the scheme.
Ward faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced on June 27, 2024, by United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby.
The FBI and USDOL-OIG are investigating this case, with assistance from the NYSDOL Office of Special Investigations, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph S. Hartunian and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting the case.
The charges against Ward’s three co-defendants – his brother Todd Ward, Rocco Resciniti, and Jamaine Myers – are still pending.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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