NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A Queens man is facing several charges, including grand larceny and identity theft, after allegedly filing multiple fake unemployment claims to receive COVID-19 relief funds.
According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, 21-year-old Keijohn Graham, of Far Rockaway, filed unemployment claims under 13 different names to collect more than $150,000 from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which was authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economics Security (CARES) Act.
He allegedly collected the funding between October 2020 and March 2021.
“This worldwide health pandemic has been devastating and led to millions of Americans losing their jobs. As part of the CARES Act, Congress expanded who could receive much-needed unemployment benefits and authorized additional money to help those affected,” Katz said in a statement. “As alleged, this defendant saw this additional support for the needy as an opportunity to fill his own pockets and filed unemployment claims in various names to collect more than $150,000 in benefits. This fraud during the pandemic costs our country, and our state, billions of dollars. We will not stand for this in Queens County. My Office will continue to diligently investigate these types of crimes and bring those responsible to justice.”
Graham was arraigned Friday on a 68-count indictment, charging him with second-degree grand larceny, first degree identity theft, falsifying business records, criminal possession of public benefit cards, criminal possession of stolen property and offering false instrument for filing.
According to Katz, Graham was arrested in March, after authorities executed a search warrant at him home and seized “numerous documents and credit cards, including 13 N.Y.S. Department of Labor benefit debit cards.”
If convicted, Graham faces up to 15 years in prison. He is due back in court on Nov. 30.