Even while on pretrial release for a related violation, 39-year-old Las Vegas resident Deandra Michelle Smith acknowledged her involvement in an unemployment insurance fraud scheme. Smith entered a guilty plea to using another person’s California Employment Development Department (EDD) unemployment insurance benefits debit card without authorization, according to a press statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
United States District Judge Jennifer Dorsey has scheduled Smith’s sentencing for February 19, 2025, subsequent to her guilty plea. For her acts, she could spend up to 35 years behind bars. According to court documents, Smith first assisted a friend in applying for unemployment insurance in the early phases of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, after the friend had resumed employment, Smith promptly began collecting and using the benefits, accruing almost $16,100 for personal expenses.
“Deandra Smith used a friend’s personally identifiable information to seek unemployment insurance (UI) benefits without the friend’s knowledge or agreement, as part of a scheme to cheat DOL’s UI program. Smith took advantage of the UI program even though he had already been charged with and found guilty of comparable crimes. In the U.S. Attorney’s Office announcement, Special Agent in Charge Quentin Heiden of the DOL-OIG, Western Region, said, “This case demonstrates our strong collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our shared commitment to securing justice for the American workforce.”
The DOL-OIG looked into the case, and the prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Frayn. The Department of Justice had earlier stepped up efforts to fight fraud in response to the epidemic by forming the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force in May 2021. The task group seeks to enhance the integrity of pandemic-related assistance initiatives in addition to prosecuting criminals. Anyone with information about COVID-19 fraud should use the Department of Justice’s online complaint form or call their National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline.
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