Omar Thompson, Wire Fraud, Massachusetts 2021

BOSTON - A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty to his involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19-related unemployment assistance.

Omar Thompson, 39, of Paterson, N.J., pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy.

Thompson was charged by criminal complaint on Aug. 19, 2021, and U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for March 22, 2022.

In March 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which created a temporary federal unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

Thompson and his co-conspirator submitted more than 100 fraudulent PUA claims resulting in more than $1.2 million in payments.

It is alleged that approximately half of the PUA claims were made on behalf of individuals residing outside of Massachusetts.

Omar Thompson, a New Jersey man, has been found guilty of one count of wire fraud conspiracy.

Thompson faces up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/new-jersey-man-pleads-guilty-unemployment-fraud-related-covid-19-pandemic