(The Center Square) – A Detroit sibling pair along with two others are accused of stealing $3.5 million from taxpayers via an unemployment fraud scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Charged are Kenny Lee Howard III, 30, Keila Lanae Howard, 34, David Christopher Davis, 25, and Stevenvan Eugene Ware, 30.
Court records say the Howards and the two other defendants filed over 700 unemployment insurance claims in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, New York, Kansas, Maryland, Tennessee, Hawaii and Guam.
“This alleged scheme diverted money away from American workers in need of financial relief during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ison said in a statement. “My office is committed to prosecuting anyone who exploited our national crisis to enrich themselves, and today’s charges are a reflection of that commitment.”
In some instances, the defendants are accused of using their names to file claims for pandemic unemployment assistance in multiple states. In other instances, the defendants used the stolen personal identifying information of others to file fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment assistance.
The complaint says the defendants illegally obtained over $3.5 million in government funds.
Angie M. Salazar, a special agent in Detroit with Homeland Security Investigations, welcomed the news.
“Our efforts speak not only to the pursuit of justice but also accountability to the American taxpayer,” Salazar said in a statement.
This article First appeared in the center square