By: Grimy Times Crime Reporter
A Pierre woman has been charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering in a scheme involving CARES Act unemployment benefits.
Marietta Ravnaas, 52, was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 3, 2021. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on August 10, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $500,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and up to $700 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that Ravnaas participated in a scheme involving CARES Act unemployment benefits. Specifically, other participants in the scheme unlawfully obtained, possessed, and shared with one another the personal identifying information (PII) of various individuals. The PII was used to falsely and fraudulently apply for unemployment benefits from various states.
The Indictment alleges that Ravnaas knowingly allowed the fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits payments to be deposited into her bank account, and then transferred money at the direction of other participants in the scheme. Ravnaas frequently transferred the funds to other participants using WorldRemit, an international money transfer service. Ravnaas also kept some of the funds to use for her own purposes.
The investigation is being conducted by the Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Labor-Office of the Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman is prosecuting the case.
Ravnaas was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has been set for October 12, 2021. The case is part of the Attorney General’s effort 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 at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Related Federal Cases
- South Dakota Lawyer Rena Hymans Indicted for Fraud, Money Laundering · Louisiana
- Tammy Twiss Pleads Not Guilty to $20K Wire, Bank Fraud Scheme · South Dakota
- Michele Ann Palm Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud · South Dakota
- Colorado Man Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud · Nebraska
- Mission Duo Indicted in $250K Wire Fraud Scheme · Nebraska
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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