By: Richard L. Smith
A Middlesex County woman has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for conspiring to illegally obtain over $400,000 in COVID-19 unemployment benefits, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Federal officials said Yanira Abreu, 42, of Keasbey, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch imposed the sentence on May 9 in Trenton federal court.
Abreu’s conspirator, Christopher Valerio, 33, of Perth Amboy, had also pleaded guilty and was sentenced on April 30, 2024, to 30 months in prison.
A third conspirator, Jose Tavares of New York, has been charged by indictment, and his case is still pending.
From July 2020 through February 2021, Abreu, Valerio, and others submitted false and fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits to the New York Department of Labor (NYDOL) using fictitious online profiles.
Accoridng to U.S Attorney Sellinger, these profiles were created with personally identifiable information, including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers, of individuals without their consent.
Once the NYDOL processed and approved the fraudulent applications, Abreu and her conspirators obtained debit cards loaded with illegally obtained funds totaling $444,728, which they used for personal gain.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Kirsch sentenced Abreu to two years of supervised release and ordered her to pay restitution and forfeiture, each amounting to $444,728.
