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Albany Man Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison for Pandemic Fraud Scheme
ALBANY, NEW YORK – A Canadian citizen formerly of Albany has been sentenced to 54 months in prison for engaging in a fraudulent scheme to obtain COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits using stolen identities.
Joseph Osei, 30, also known as ‘Kyngjo,’ was sentenced on Tuesday by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino for his role in the scheme, which involved fraudulently obtaining unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor worth more than $200,000.
The trial evidence showed that from August 2020 through November 2020, Osei used stolen identities to apply for and obtain pandemic unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor, as well as from state workforce agencies in California, Rhode Island, and Arizona.
Osei was found guilty on all counts, including four counts of mail fraud, one count of access device fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft, after a jury deliberated for less than two hours in May. In addition to his prison sentence, Osei was also ordered to pay restitution to the State of New York and the State of Arizona in the total amount of $211,360.
“Joseph Osei’s brazen exploitation of critical relief programs during a national crisis was an affront to every individual who genuinely relied on these resources to survive,” said Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “By stealing the identities of other people, Osei not only violated the law but also undermined the very purpose of programs designed to help those in need.”
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s New York Field Office and the New York State Department of Labor’s Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping and Joshua R. Rosenthal prosecuted the case.
Osei’s actions were characterized as ‘callous and calculated’ by law enforcement officials, who praised the hard work of all agencies involved in the task force that brought him to justice.
“The relief programs that Osei stole from were created as lifelines during the COVID pandemic and Osei took funds away from those in need and victimized unsuspecting people by stealing their personal identifying information,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward.
“HSI Albany is proud to have played a role in ensuring Joseph Osei faced the consequences of his fraud and identity theft,” added Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan. “The prosecution of Osei will serve as a deterrent to anyone else who thinks about trying to steal from New Yorkers and government programs.”
“Safeguarding the integrity of the unemployment insurance program remains a top priority for the Office of Inspector General,” said Jonathan R. Mellone, Special Agent-in-Charge, Northeast Region, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to ensure the protection of U.S. Department of Labor programs and operations.”
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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