Reports

Greenbelt , Maryland – U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby sentenced Michael Cooley, Jr., aka “Micheal Cooley Jr.,” “5Micmusik,” and “Michael White,” age 26, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, to 87 months in federal prison. In January 2025, Cooley pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a conspiracy and scheme to defraud the Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL) and California Employment Development Department (CA-EDD).

Baltimore , Maryland – David Godin, 34, aka “James St Patrick,” aka “David Wetty,” aka “Vic Pro,” of Miami, Florida, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme to defraud the Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL) and California Employment Development Department (CA-EDD). Godin attempted to defraud MD-DOL and CA-EDD of more than $2.3 million in unemployment insurance (UI) benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Victor Ojo, 30, of Belcamp, Maryland, to 72 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Victor Ojo received the sentence for aggravated identity theft and his role in an attempted bank-fraud scheme that had an intended loss amount of $1.5 million.

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging two Maryland men on federal charges related to a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in unemployment insurance benefits. On February 1, 2024, a grand jury returned a sealed indictment of Daiwor Woah-Tee, age 51, of Belcamp, Maryland, and Dekwii Woah-Tee, age 46, of Rosedale, Maryland with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft, respectively, relating to a scheme to obtain more than $1,000,000 in unemployment insurance benefits. The indictment was unsealed upon the...

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin today sentenced Damilola Ojo, age 31, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, to 48 months in federal prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, for charges related to a bank fraud scheme totaling more than $1.8 million. As part of his plea, Ojo also admitted to obtaining a fraudulent $475,000 COVID-19 CARES Act loan. Judge Rubin ordered Ojo to forfeit $20,000 and to pay restitution of $546,000.

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging David Godin, a/k/a “James St Patrick,” a/k/a “David Wetty,” a/k/a “Vic Pro” for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme to defraud the Maryland Department of Labor (“MD-DOL”) and California Employment Development Department (CA-EDD”) of unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging Michael Cooley, Jr., a/k/a “Micheal Cooley Jr.,” “5Micmusik,” and “Michael White,” age 24, and Isiah Lewis, a/k/a “Zay,” age 33, both of Maryland; and “Alonzo Brown, age 26, of Virginia, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, relating to the submission of fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, enacted to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the...

U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang today sentenced Jerry Phillips, a/k/a “Tian Juzo,” age 25, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, and illegal possession of a machine gun, related to a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in COVID-19 CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program loan applications (“PPP”), Economic Injury Disaster loan applications (“EIDL”), and unemployment insurance claims. Judge Chuang also ordered Phillips to pay restitution of $1,235...

Jaleel Phillips, age 25, of Capital Heights, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a federal wire fraud conspiracy, in relation to a scheme to unlawfully obtain COVID-19 relief loans and unemployment benefits.

Today the Justice Department announced the establishment of three Strike Force teams created to enhance the Department’s existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related fraud.