Gregory Marcus Tackett, 28, of Pound, Va., was sentenced for fraudulently filing for more than $499,000 in unemployment benefits he was not entitled to. (Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has offered ample opportunity for unscrupulous individuals to jump into the fraud game.)
Tackett admitted to conspiring with others to fraudulently collect Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program benefits. One of these fraudsters was Tackett’s girlfriend, Leelynn Danielle Chytka. (Perhaps they aspired to be like Bonnie and Clyde, although this couple decided to rob the government, not banks. Less likely to be killed in fraudulent action so to speak.)
The couple and their other fraudster friends plotted to obtain the identification information of more than 35 others and file claims for pandemic related unemployment benefits. (Their odds of getting away with this should have seemed slim considering they chose 35 victims. They were betting on winning the PUA lottery and absconding with some cash they didn’t deserve.)
Fifteen of the identities they stole belonged to Virginia Department of Corrections inmates. (More like their soon-to-be neighbors.) Within nine months, Tackett and Chytka filed $499,000 worth of claims for over 36 individuals. (That is a lot of paperwork. They should have used their administrative skills to find a legitimate job.)
Tackett pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and one count of obstructing justice. He was sentenced to 108 months in prison.
Tackett’s girlfriend, Leelynn Danielle Chytka, received a 108-month prison sentence and must pay $455,930 in restitution for conspiring with her boyfriend and others to defraud the government out of nearly half a million dollars. In addition to pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud with respect to benefits authorized and paid in connection with a presidentially declared major disaster or emergency, and one count of aggravated identity theft, she also pleaded guilty to and one count of distribution of suboxone. (Yes, she was caught distributing drugs into a prison facility. Does that really surprise you? Now we know how the identities were stolen.)
Today’s Fraud of the Day comes from a Department of Justice press release, “Southwest Virginia Man Sentenced to 108 Months for Role in Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Scheme,” dated July 27, 2021.
ABINGDON, Va. – A Pound, Virginia man, who conspired with others to fraudulently file more than $499,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits, was sentenced today to 108 months in federal prison.
Gregory Marcus Tackett, 28, pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of obstructing justice.
