Bryan Abraham received a 60-month prison sentence and a forfeiture of $579,862 for aggravated identity theft and fraudulently acquiring COVID-19 unemployment benefits. Between June 2020 and April 2021, he exploited relaxed pandemic-era regulations to file over $1.75 million in false claims using the identities of 250 victims. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella stated the sentence serves as a warning against exploiting public funds, and emphasized the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies in addressing pandemic-related fraud.
"This sentence is a reminder that there is no free pass for fraudsters like the defendant who shamefully stole public funds intended to alleviate the suffering of New Yorkers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic."
"Postal Inspectors have worked aggressively to investigate all types of pandemic-related frauds occurring via the U.S. Mail; these individuals, unfortunately, thought they could exploit government unemployment benefits and get away with it and will now rightly serve the consequence for their actions."
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