6 people from Benton Harbor charged in $1 million COVID fraud schemes

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WNDU) – Six persons from Benton Harbor have been indicted by a federal grand jury on fees relating to pandemic fraud techniques they utilized to get about $1 million in COVID-19 aid, including fraudulently received unemployment insurance plan advantages and modest company financial loans.

The subsequent persons are charged in the indictment are:

• Roshell Beaty (aka Roshell Clinton, Angel Clinton, and Angel Beaty), 45, of Benton Harbor
• Melvin Clinton (Beaty’s son), 21, of Benton Harbor
• Danielle Department (aka Danielle Beaty – Beaty’s daughter), 28, of Benton Harbor
• Christopher Department (Beaty’s son), 27, a resident of the Atlanta, Ga spot who is from Benton Harbor.
• Christopher Bates, 22, of Benton Harbor
• Brianna Rimpson, 24, a resident of the Grand Rapids spot who earlier lived in Benton Harbor

The indictment alleges that, concerning April 2020 and December 2021, they all conspired to dedicate wire fraud by publishing falsified and fraudulent promises and certifications for pandemic unemployment coverage rewards in their have names and in the names of 3rd get-togethers, some of whom have been victims of id theft.

In accordance to the indictment, they all submitted at least 98 phony and fraudulent unemployment insurance policy promises and similar certifications in a number of states in the names of at the very least 61 distinctive men and women. In reaction to all those statements, the states of Michigan, Indiana, California, Illinois, and Arizona paid out out far more than $764,000 in pandemic unemployment insurance policies advantages.

All six of them were being also charged with respective counts of wire fraud relevant to pandemic unemployment insurance policies fraud. Beaty and Christopher Department are charged with several counts of aggravated id theft for making use of the indicates of identification of other people today with no lawful authority in link with the unemployment insurance plan wire fraud conspiracy. Defendants Beaty, Clinton, Danielle Department, and Bates are every single billed with fraud in connection with unexpected emergency added benefits.

In addition to expenses stemming from unemployment insurance fraud strategies, five of the 6 folks are billed in the indictment with varying counts of wire fraud and conspiring to commit wire fraud in relationship with their alleged fraudulent receipt of financial loans intended to alleviate modest businesses of burdens and costs involved with the pandemic. Beaty and Clinton facial area costs for an Financial Injury Catastrophe Bank loan in the volume of $49,900, for a “so-called” hair and nail salon belonging to Clinton with 10 workers. The indictment alleges that bank loan proceeds had been used to buy a 2017 Jaguar F-Rate SUV. Beaty, Clinton, Danielle Branch, Bates, and Rimpson are billed in connection with Paycheck Safety Application financial loans totaling $258,148 for “so-called” small companies.

A conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, or wire fraud, in relationship with a declared major catastrophe or nationwide emergency is topic to a jail term of up to 30 decades and a wonderful of up to $1,000,000, amongst other penalties. A conviction for aggravated id theft carries a necessary prison term of two a long time to be served consecutively to any other sentence(s) imposed.

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