Gladstone Njokem, COVID-19 CARES Act Benefits Fraud, Maryland 2023

State: Maryland
Category: Fraud &#038; Financial Crimes
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/hyattsville-man-pleads-guilty-scheme-fraudulently-obtain-least-13-million-covid-19-cares" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

Gladstone Njokem, a 36-year-old man from Hyattsville, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The charges stem from a scheme to fraudulently obtain at least $1.3 million in COVID-19 CARES Act unemployment insurance benefits.

According to the guilty plea, from February 2020 through February 2021, Njokem and his co-defendants, Martin Tabe and Sylvester Atekwane, conspired to impersonate victims and obtain money by submitting fraudulent claims for UI benefits. The group collected the personally identifiable information (PII) of victims without their knowledge or consent and shared it amongst themselves and others to facilitate the fraud.

Njokem and his co-conspirators used the victims’ PII to submit fraudulent applications for UI benefits in Maryland, Arizona, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, and Virginia. In total, at least $1,313,325 in UI benefits, applied for using the names and PII of over 183 victims, are traceable to Njokem’s conspiracy.

Njokem has agreed to be sentenced to between 24 and 70 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for May 17, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.

Co-defendants Martin Tabe and Sylvester Atekwane have previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the fraud scheme. Judge Bennett has scheduled sentencing for Atekwane on April 13, 2023, at 11:00 a.m., and for Tabe on May 2, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.

The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force was established in May 2021 to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

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