3 Valley women sentenced for stealing inmate identities for COVID-19 unemployment fraud
Sep 20, 2024, 9:00 AM
A U.S. district judge in Arizona sentenced three women for their part in a scheme to file fraudulent COVID-19 unemployment assistance applications, prosecutors announced on Sept. 19, 2024. (File photo from Federal Bureau of Prisons)
(File photo from Federal Bureau of Prisons)
PHOENIX — Three Valley women have been sentenced after using stolen identities to fraudulently obtain pandemic unemployment benefits from federal programs.
The three were involved in a scheme to file falsified applications in the names of prison inmates who didn’t lose their jobs due to the pandemic, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
The three women are 43-year-old Likishe Kelly of Phoenix, 52-year-old Christine Boston of Mesa and 36-year-old Antoinette Coleman of Glendale.
Between May and December of 2020, Kelly, Boston and Coleman submitted around 42 fraudulent applications for COVID-19 benefits, prosecutors said.
They stole around $375,094 in illicit funds.
Prosecutors say three Valley women admitted their fraud
Kelly pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Nov. 21, 2023, prosecutors said.
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A U.S. district judge sentenced the Phoenix woman to 36 months in prison last week. Kelly was also mandated to pay $375,094 in restitution to the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES).
Boston pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Jan. 3. She was sentenced to 36 months in prison on July 9. She will also have to pay $97,596 in restitution to DES.
Lastly, Coleman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Jan. 16. Last week, a judge sentenced the Glendale woman to spend five years on probation. She will have to pay $19,678 in restitution to DES.
How did they steal COVID-19 benefits?
Boston was incarcerated when the three Valley women set the plan to steal COVID-19 benefits into motion, prosecutors said.
She used her position to send inmate information to both Kelly and Coleman.
Boston also allegedly recruited Coleman over email while in the Arizona state prison in Goodyear.
Coleman was accused of helping process inmate applications for pandemic-related unemployment assistance.
After Coleman processed the applications, Kelly would file them, as well as weekly certifications, prosecutors said.
Kelly would then pay Boston for the inmate information by making deposits into Boston’s Arizona state prison commissary account.
