Maryland man charged in $1 million unemployment benefits fraud scheme

BALTIMORE, MD—A federal grand jury charged a Maryland man with conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $1 million in unemployment benefits, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland. Mervyn Fombe Abiko, 35, also known as “Magic,” was indicted on May 22, 2024. The indictment was unsealed upon […]

Baltimore County resident who ran drug trafficking organization sentenced to 10 years in prison

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County man who ran a drug trafficking organization in the Baltimore area has been sentenced to prison. U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Ernest Lee Bailey, 51, of Owings Mills, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and […]

Baltimore man sentenced to prison in connection with counterfeit card encoding scheme

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a counterfeit card encoding scheme. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has sentenced Leroy Holmes, 62, of Baltimore, to 57 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for bank fraud in connection with a scheme to re-encode credit cards, debit cards and […]

Baltimore man, previously convicted for bank fraud, facing federal charges for filing fraudulent applications for COVID-19 CARES Act loans and unemployment benefits

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore man who was previously convicted on bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges is now facing federal charges for filing fraudulent applications for COVID-19 CARES Act loans and unemployment benefits. A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Ryan Dales, 34, with wire fraud, relating to the submission of fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, a […]

Eleven Maryland defendants facing federal charges relating to unemployment fraud scheme with more than $1.6 million in losses

BALTIMORE, MD—A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment adding two new defendants to the nine defendants previously charged in relation to a Maryland and California unemployment insurance fraud scheme. The superseding indictment charges the defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and stealing a post office key. The superseding indictment was returned on […]