A Richmond man involved in a $619K multi-state scheme for COVID-19 pandemic benefits will serve three years and six months in prison.
Makka Barba, 36, and his co-conspirators filed at least 346 false claims for pandemic-related unemployment benefits in the names of identity theft victims, according to court records.
They filed false claims with at least seven different state workforce agencies throughout the U.S., including the Virginia Employment Commission, between October 2020 and February 2021.
These pandemic unemployment applications represented that the victims were filing these claims and falsely represented the victims’ eligibility for pandemic-related unemployment benefits. In many cases, the victims were employed during the pandemic and were not eligible for such funds.
Garba and his co-conspirators received at least $619,442 in funds to which they were not entitled. Electronic payment cards were mailed to Garba which he withdrew from Richmond-area ATMs.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth prosecuted the case.
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General investigated this case.
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Crystal Graham
