Zachary Kameron Ramyard, Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Florida 2026

MIAMI – In a shocking case of financial misdeeds, 23-year-old Zachary Kameron Ramyard of Orlando, Florida, has been sentenced to 71 months in federal prison for leading a scheme that defrauded California’s Employment Development Department of over $4 million in state and federal unemployment insurance benefit money.

Ramyard pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in October 2024. The scheme, which lasted from August 2020 to August 2022, involved Ramyard and others submitting fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to California’s Employment Development Department (EDD).

The UI payments were intended to provide temporary financial assistance to lawful workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own. However, Ramyard and his accomplices purchased the personally identifiable information (PII) of victims, created counterfeit driver licenses with it, and submitted at least 68 fraudulent UI benefits applications using the victims’ PII.

Ramyard also withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars in UI funds from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in different states using fraudulent debit cards. The EDD typically distributed UI benefits electronically to debit cards that were mailed to claimants.

Ramyard used the cash to buy luxury items, including diamond-studded teeth jewelry, also known as “grills.”

The U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne, Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region, announced the sentence.

HSI Miami and DOL-OIG investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Egozi prosecuting the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster handling asset forfeiture.

Ramyard was also ordered to pay over $1.2 million in restitution.

The case highlights the need for vigilance in preventing and investigating financial crimes, particularly during times of economic uncertainty, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

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