Woodbridge woman gets prison for $444K COVID fraud
A Woodbridge woman has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for conspiring to illegally obtain more than $400,000 in COVID unemployment benefits, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Yanira Abreu, 42, of the Keasbey section, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Kirsch sentenced Abreu on May 9 in Trenton federal court.
Abreu’s conspirator, Christopher Valerio, 33, of Perth Amboy, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced on April 30 to 30 months in federal prison. A third conspirator, Jose Tavares, of New York, is charged by indictment and his case remains pending.
According to court documents and statements between, July 2020 and February 2021, Abreu, Valerio, and others submitted false and fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits to the New York Department of Labor (NYDOL) through fictitious online profiles that they created using personally identifiable information, including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers, of other individuals without their consent.
Once the NYDOL processed and approved the fraudulent applications, Abreu and her conspirators obtained debit cards with illegally obtained funds totaling $444,728, which they used for personal gain.
Kirsch also sentenced Abreu to two years of supervised release and ordered restitution and forfeiture, each in the amount of $444,728.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Woodbridge NJ woman gets prison for $444K COVID fraud
