A young couple has been charged after allegedly claiming $2,500,000 through bogus Covid-19 unemployment claims.
27-year-old Micahia Taylor and 25-year-old Johnny Richardson have been charged with wire fraud after going on expensive vacations and buying brand new cars and jewelry with the government money “intended to support individuals who lost their jobs during the pandemic.”
According to the officials, the pair has been accused of conspiring with 39-year-old Brandi Hawkins, a former State of Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency employee, to get their hands on the government money through fake unemployment claims.
“Hawkins actions resulted in the fraudulent disbursement of over $2,000,000 of federal and state funds intended for unemployment assistance during the pandemic,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Michigan statement read.
As the authorities reported, Hawkins worked with the couple and used her position to fraudulently release payments to the couple. When her home was raided by the police back in July, the investigators came across nearly $240k in cash as well as a series of designer items.
The police also uncovered the 39-year-old’s conversations with Taylor and Richardson. According to the officials, Richardson was routinely seen “wearing designer clothing and custom diamond-encrusted jewelry and watches, driving luxury vehicles, and in possession of large sums of money” despite the fact that he is “not gainfully employed and has no other known legitimate source of income.”
“In general, posts to Richardson’s account routinely depict him wearing designer clothing and custom diamond-encrusted jewelry and watches, driving luxury vehicles, and in possession of large sums of money,” Inspector Erin Leipold of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service explained.
“Prior to setting her Instagram account to private, Taylor’s account often pictured her with Richardson, and she was also pictured wearing diamond jewelry and watches.”
If the couple is found guilty of committing wire fraud, they will be facing 20 years in prison.
Replaced!