High Springs man receives federal prison sentence for wire fraud

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Sean Walker of High Springs was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison on Wednesday for wire fraud in connection with COVID-19 relief fraud.

According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida press release, court documents showed that Walker, 34, obtained more than $20,000 in unemployment benefits from the state of California. The funds came from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and were intended to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans who were suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walker’s application for the funds contained materially fraudulent and false statements and Walker knew that he had never worked or lived in California and was not entitled to unemployment insurance benefits from that state.

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“Our office will continue to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer money, including holding those accountable who conspired to falsely obtain government funds during the COVID‑19 pandemic,” said acting U.S. Attorney Michelle Spaven in the press release.

Walker is ordered to pay $21,690 in restitution to the California Employment Development Department in addition to his 42-month prison sentence. His imprisonment will be followed by three years of supervised release.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) jointly conducted an investigation that resulted in Walker and eight other defendants being convicted of similar COVID-19 relief fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Byron and Adam Harper prosecuted the case.

“While many were facing hardship and uncertainty, these defendants sought to exploit government programs intended to help those in need,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker, of the IRS-CI, Tampa Field Office, in the press release. “Their actions were driven by greed and a blatant disregard for the law, undermining the purpose of critical relief efforts. We remain committed to holding accountable those who abuse these programs for personal gain and ensuring that justice is served.”

According to the release, “the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force marshals the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.”

For additional information on the department’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit Justice.gov/Coronavirus and Justice.gov/Coronavirus/CombatingFraud.

“The sentencing of Sean Walker conveys the important message that you cannot steal money from Americans without consequence,” said Kristin Rehler, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division, in the press release. “The funds stolen by this defendant and other co-conspirators add to the massive amount of COVID-19 relief fraud that will ultimately be paid for by taxpayers. The FBI’s investigation into these schemes exemplifies our commitment to hold thieves accountable, and we will continue to work in coordination with our partners to protect the pocketbooks of hard-working Americans.”

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 relief funds can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

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