Skip to main content

Virginia inmate pleads guilty to pandemic benefits scheme

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Virginia prison inmate has pleaded guilty to his part in a scheme to get pandemic-related jobless benefits by using personal identifying information of over 30 other inmates.

Acting Virginia U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh says that according to court documents, Michael Lee Lewis Jr. of Chesapeake worked with two women to collect identifiable information of other inmates to fraudulently apply for Virginia unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Together, the three submitted successful applications for Virginia unemployment benefits for 35 inmates. The inmates shared in the proceeds, which totaled more than $330,000.

Completing the FAFSA: Everything you should know

Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which opens by Dec. 31, is one of the most important steps students and their families can take to pay for college. Some states now make completing the FAFSA a high school graduation requirement. The U.S. Department of Education awarded about $111.6 billion in federal grants, loans and work-study funds in fiscal year 2022, according to the most recent Federal Student Aid annual report. Those federal funds will assist roughly 9.8 million students in completing their education.
Read Next Story