A Rockford, Iowa woman who received unemployment benefits in other people’s names, and laundered most of those funds through cryptocurrency transactions, was sentenced September 20, 2022, to more than a year in federal prison.

NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LINDA REED HILL (“HILL”), age 75, of Slidell, Louisiana, pled guilty today to Theft of Government Funds in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.

            WASHINGTON – Elias Eldabbagh, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for carrying out a scheme to steal more than $31 million under the CARES Act and laundering the proceeds of the crime. Eldabbagh succeeded in stealing $2,385,000 under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro to three years and five months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection to the illegal possession of unemployment benefit debit cards issued by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) and Arizona’s Department of Economic Security (DES).

Vincent Okoye (40) pleaded guilty in June 2022 to conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

CLEVELAND - A federal grand jury has returned a two-count indictment charging Brandon Monteal Williams, 32, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, with theft of mail by a postal employee and misappropriation of postal funds.