Zakria Hussain, CARES Act Unemployment Insurance Fraud, Maryland 2023

Greenbelt, MD – Zakria Hussain, 28, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, relating to the submission of fraudulent CARES Act unemployment insurance (UI) claims, in Maryland federal court.

According to the plea agreement, beginning in at least March 2021, and continuing until about August 2022, Hussain and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud the United States, the State of Maryland, multiple financial institutions, and multiple individuals, including at least six identity theft victims.

The co-conspirators submitted false and fraudulent UI benefits claims to the Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL), Maryland’s agency that is responsible for processing the claims. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants fraudulently obtained more than $3.5 million in unemployment insurance benefits.

Hussain personally participated in UI claims resulting in losses exceeding $550,000, but less than $1.5 million, and he used debit cards issued in the names of aggravated identity theft victims to obtain UI fraud funds.

Co-conspirators Bryan Nushawn Ruffin, 27, of Woodbridge, Virginia, and Kiara Smith, 27, of Fort Washington, Maryland, employed by Company 1, provided professional support services to the MD-DOL to review UI claims and administer UI benefits.

Hussain and his co-conspirators possessed and used computers issued by Company 1 to access non-public UI data and databases maintained by the MD-DOL. Ruffin and Smith then granted Hussain and his co-conspirators access to MD-DOL databases, which they used to change information on existing UI claims.

Hussain faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud conspiracy and a mandatory sentence of two years, consecutive to any other imposed sentence, for aggravated identity theft. Sentencing is currently set for December 19, at 10 a.m.

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