2026-07-06 19:34:35 Virginia woman sentenced in pandemic benefits fraud scheme – NEW WTOP Skip to main content

Virginia woman sentenced in pandemic benefits fraud scheme

By The Associated Press

ABINGDON, Va. (AP) — A federal prosecutor says a Virginia woman convicted earlier this year of charges connected with a scheme to defraud the U.S. government through fake claims for pandemic unemployment benefits has been sentenced to more than two years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh says Marissa Leanna Kiser of Saint Paul was found guilty by a jury in February and sentenced on Tuesday to 27 months in prison.

Prosecutors say that over a nine-month period, Kiser and her co-conspirators filed fraudulent claims with the Virginia Employment Commission on behalf of at least 37 individuals for a total loss of at least $499,000.

Completing the FAFSA: Everything you should know

By U.S. News & World Report
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.
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