Lamont Bethea, Fraud, Connecticut 2020

A Hamden man has pleaded guilty to participating in a brazen fraud scheme that netted him and his accomplices over $433,260 in stolen funds.

Lamont Bethea, 31, of Hamden, Connecticut, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years.

The scheme, which lasted from June 2020 to December 2020, involved Bethea's employment as a Patient Care Associate at Yale New Haven Health Systems (YNHHS). Bethea and Lorita Fair, who worked in the YNHHS payroll department, began embezzling payroll funds in June 2020. Fair made fraudulent entries in the YNHHS payroll system, resulting in Bethea, Fair, and another individual receiving direct-deposited payroll payments they were not entitled to.

According to court documents, Bethea and the other individual then kicked back a portion of the fraudulent payroll payments to Fair. As a result of this scheme, YNHHS sustained a loss of more than $116,260, with approximately $106,000 being paid into Bethea's bank account.

In a second fraud scheme, beginning in July 2020, Bethea received personal checks that had been stolen from an individual living in New Haven. The victim's signature was forged on the checks, which were made payable to Bethea, and he deposited them into his personal bank account. Bethea also arranged electronic transfers from the victim's bank account to pay personal expenses for himself, his family members, and friends. Through this scheme, Bethea and others stole more than $317,000, with Bethea and his family members and friends receiving a total of more than $131,000.

Bethea was arrested on October 21, 2021, on a criminal complaint charging him with offenses arising from the YNHHS fraud scheme. He is currently released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for November 23.

Bethea's accomplice, Lorita Fair, pleaded guilty to one count of theft in connection with healthcare for her role in the YNHHS fraud on April 27, 2022, and is also released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of YNHHS and Bank of America. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/hamden-man-pleads-guilty-fraud-offenses