A woman from Houston was sentenced today for fraudulently collecting over $800,000 in unemployment benefits in Missouri and from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. She used the personal information of many other people to do this, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Missouri.
Prayshana Washington, 37, was sentenced to three years and one month in federal jail without the chance for parole by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
The court ordered Washington to pay a total of $836,369 in compensation. This includes $808,019 to the Missouri Division of Employment Security and $28,350 to the California Employment Development Department, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
On May 23, 2024, Washington pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property, the U.S. attorney’s office verified.
The department said Washington confessed to helping submit fake claims using her name and others’ names to illegally get jobless benefits from Missouri.
The U.S. attorney’s office noted that these perks included extra money from the CARES Act.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Washington wrongly made 38 successful claims for unemployment benefits using the names and personal information of people from Missouri and other places.
The U.S. attorney’s office said that these people could not get Missouri or extra unemployment payments.
The plan went on for more than a year and involved Washington making multiple fake claims to the Missouri Department of Employment Services, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
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