BALTIMORE, MD—Two Maryland men have been indicted for allegedly stealing more than $1 million in unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daiwor Woah-Tee, 51, of Belcamp, and Dekwii Woah-Tee, 46, of Rosedale, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, respectively. The indictment was unsealed when the defendants were arrested on December 18, 2024, and they appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Austin in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

According to the indictment, the men used other people’s identities to submit fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance benefits from March 2020 to September 2021. They allegedly stole more than $1 million from state and federal workforce agencies.

The unemployment insurance program provides temporary financial assistance to eligible workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several federal programs expanded UI eligibility and increased UI benefits.

If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud conspiracy. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison that runs consecutively to any other sentence. Actual federal crime sentences are typically shorter than maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The District of Maryland Strike Force is investigating the case. The U.S. Department of Justice established five strike forces nationwide to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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