Leicester Woman and Man Charged in Superseding Indictment in COVID-19 Pandemic Scheme

BOSTON – A Leicester woman and man were charged in a superseding indictment by a federal grand jury in Worcester in connection with their alleged involvement in a pandemic unemployment fraud scheme.

The superseding indictment added one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud against Destinee Snay, 19, who was arrested today. In April 2021 co-defendant William Cordor, 26, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft. Cordor was previously arrested by criminal complaint.

According to the indictment, from about June 2020 to about October 2020, Cordor and Snay conspired with others to file false and fraudulent claims for unemployment assistance in multiple states, including Nevada, using stolen identities and transfer the payments into prepaid debit card accounts they obtained. It is alleged that on Aug. 18, 2020, Cordor was encountered by police in connection with a domestic violence incident and found in possession of approximately 21 prepaid debit cards in approximately 13 different names. In addition, evidence related to this scheme was allegedly found on Cordor’s computer and cell phone.

Cordor also allegedly engaged with others in a second wire fraud scheme that involved using stolen identities to fraudulently apply for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster loans from the SBA and similarly deposited the loans into prepaid debit card accounts.

Charging documents allege that in May 2020 Cordor admitted to federal agents that he had fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  That same day, Cordor agreed to surrender to federal authorities the balance of $79,000 in his bank account that were proceeds of his unemployment fraud scheme in Massachusetts. This occurred before Cordor is alleged to have filed the fraudulent unemployment claim with Nevada in July 2020.

The charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison in addition to any other sentenced imposed, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Michael Mikulka, Special Agent in Charge of Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; and Frederick J. Regan, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the case was provided by the Leicester and Marlboro Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Mendell’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.