Newport News, Va. – In a gritty sentencing, Hampton woman Lapondia Wallace, 53, was slammed with five years in prison for leading a pandemic fraud conspiracy. Wallace’s cunning scheme involved at least 22 fraudulent pandemic loan applications and five more for unemployment insurance benefits, swindling over $250,000 from the U.S. and Virginia.
Wallace, who had at least fifteen prior convictions for fraud and forgery, pulled off this heist while under court supervision for a previous mail fraud conviction. She siphoned substantial sums to fund her habits of gambling, travel, and luxury shopping before they could be traced.
Prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Mack Coleman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Levey-Weinstein, Wallace’s sentence was announced post-sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and various federal agencies were involved in the investigation.
Wallace’s criminal history is extensive, marked by a 2021 federal conviction for mail fraud. This time, she operated as part of a larger conspiracy that targeted insurance claims during the pandemic.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia has made this press release available on its website, along with related court documents and information accessible through PACER by searching Case No. 4:23-cr-66.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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