Houston woman pleads guilty to CARES Act fraud in Missouri

A Houston, Texas, woman pleaded guilty in federal court to fraudulently receiving Missouri unemployment and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act benefits using her information. identity of many other people.

Prayshana Washington, 37, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips on Thursday, May 23, to one count of theft of government property.

By pleading guilty, Washington admitted to facilitating the filing of false claims in his and others’ names, thereby fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits paid by the State of Missouri. These benefits included those from the CARES Act.

Washington filed applications for unemployment benefits using the names and personal identifying information of individuals in Missouri and elsewhere. These individuals were ineligible for Missouri benefits and enhanced unemployment benefits. The emergency increase in unemployment benefits provided an additional $600 weekly payment.

The total amount of losses from May 2020 to June 2021 is at least $550,000 but less than $1.5 million. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Washington must pay restitution as determined by the court.

Under federal law, Washington faces a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes because the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the Advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled following the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Becker. The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General – Bureau of Investigation and Fraud racketeering at work.

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