Tommie Joyner, COVID-19 Relief Fraud, Kentucky 2020

LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Lexington man has pleaded guilty to COVID-19 relief fraud, according to a guilty plea agreement filed in federal court.

Tommie Joyner, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward Atkins to wire fraud arising out of a scheme to unlawfully obtain various COVID-19 pandemic relief benefits.

In 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic established several new unemployment compensation programs that were funded primarily by the federal government and administered by state workforce agencies.

Joyner made material false statements in order to obtain money from various government relief and COVID-19 relief programs from March 2020 to June 2022. He fabricated information about employment history, residence, and business ventures, and applied for relief funds using that false information.

According to court documents, Joyner filed an unemployment benefits application with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency on May 19, 2020, falsely claiming that he resided in Detroit, Michigan, when in fact he was a resident of Lexington, Kentucky. As a result of the misrepresentation, he was paid $15,269.76 in unemployment assistance.

Similarly, Joyner applied for pandemic unemployment benefits in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, and New York, all of which contained false statements and representations. His fraudulent applications to New York and Indiana were approved and he obtained $83,925.47 in unemployment benefits. Joyner also applied for two EIDLs with the SBA, seeking $62,500. While the fraudulent EIDL applications were ultimately denied, the SBA still paid Joyner $1,000 in EIDL advances.

Joyner is scheduled to appear for sentencing on August 22, 2025, and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. He will be required to pay a minimum of $100,195.23 in restitution.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.

Joyner’s case is part of a larger effort to combat COVID-19 relief fraud, which has been a priority for the government.

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