BOSTON — In a stunning turn of events, 26-year-old Dominik Manigo from Weymouth has pleaded guilty in federal court to submitting fraudulent information to obtain unemployment benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. The defendant’s actions are part of an ongoing investigation into COVID-19 related fraud.
Manigo, along with co-conspirator Nelson Roche Diaz, was indicted for wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud in January 2025. According to court documents, the duo submitted fraudulent claims on the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance portal. They also forged letters claiming the pandemic impacted their employment at a Boston restaurant—a claim both parties never worked.
The scheme netted Manigo and Roche over $43,000. Wire fraud charges carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines reaching $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by the federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The investigation was a collaborative effort between multiple law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor, Homeland Security Investigations, Massachusetts State Police, Boston Police, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman is leading the prosecution.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which targets high-level criminal organizations. The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force was also instrumental in this investigation, aiming to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.
For those with information about similar frauds, the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline is available at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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