Several young men from New York have been accused of defrauding the government and identity theft to earn large sums in COVID relief funds, before sharing their earnings on social media.
A group of eight men from Brooklyn were formally charged in the District Court of Eastern New York on Tuesday for their alleged role in stealing COVID relief funds, the New York Post reported.
Six of the eight men, who range from 18 to 25-years-old, were formally charged, while two of the suspects reportedly remain at large with warrants out for their arrest, according to the New York Post.
8 NYC suspects accused of stealing $2M in COVID relief, flaunting cash online https://t.co/e0ygeGzlBw pic.twitter.com/y9hQYDVdmx
— New York Post Metro (@nypmetro) May 19, 2021
In the affidavit, the group was accused of intentionally using stolen identities, such as credit cards and social security numbers, to fraudulently file for COVID unemployment benefits that resulted in $2 million being sent out to them between June of 2020 and April of 2021.
Money that was received from the benefits was funneled to their personal bank accounts, then used at several Key Bank ATM cards in other people’s names to withdraw the money, according to the New York Post.
The group reportedly used the same addresses and cellphone numbers for multiple claims, prompting an investigation. (RELATED: Attorney General Assembles Task Force To Hunt Down COVID-19 Fraud)
The affidavit also included several photos taken by the group that allegedly appeared on social media, with a number of them showing large amounts of cash. Some of the photos showed their cars and expensive clothing.
“There is never an excuse to knowingly commit fraud and steal from a system that was designed to help New Yorkers in a time of need,” State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon told the New York Post.
The Secret Service revealed earlier in May that they had recovered more than $2 billion in stolen unemployment benefits during the COVID pandemic, as previously reported.