Tami Mateljan, Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Pennsylvania 2021

Tami Mateljan Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Conspiracy

HARRISBURG, PA - In a stunning turn of events, 46-year-old Tami Mateljan of York, Pennsylvania, has entered a guilty plea for conspiring to commit wire fraud. The charges stem from a scheme that spanned October 2020 to December 2020.

According to the investigation, conspirators submitted fraudulent applications for pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) to Colorado and Ohio, using the names and personal information of other individuals without authorization. The states transferred the fraudulently obtained PUA benefits to accounts owned by Mateljan. She then used some of the money for her own benefit and transferred the remaining money to conspirators in other countries, including Nigeria.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli is prosecuting the case.

Mateljan's guilty plea comes as the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force continues to root out pandemic-related fraud. Established on May 17, 2021, the task force marshals the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.

If convicted, the maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

The Attorney General's COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force has made significant strides in preventing and investigating 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.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/york-woman-pleads-guilty-wire-fraud-conspiracy-related-pandemic-unemployment-assistance