COVID-19 Unemployment Scam Lands Cleveland Man In Prison: DOJ

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland-basedleader of a COVID-19 unemployment scam was sentenced to 51 months in prison on Thursday.

Lawrence Lawson, 41, from Cleveland was sentenced to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay $355,849 in restitution after he pleaded guilty to his role in a COVID-19 pandemic unemployment insurance scam.

“Mr. Lawson and his codefendants stole taxpayer dollars intended to help our neighbors and community members pay their bills and obtain basic necessities while the pandemic disrupted lives and caused many to lose their jobs or livelihood,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler. “This is not a victimless crime. If you steal from the government, you will be caught and you will be held accountable.”

Between May and November 2020, Lawson recruited other people into a scam where he would file unemployment claims on their behalf in exchange for a portion of the proceeds, according to court documents and the Department of Justice.

Lawson worked with Cierra Clifton, 38, from Willowick, to file claims in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Rhode Island, Delaware, Montana, Arizona and California, court records show.

If the claim was processed by a state, a pre-loaded bank-issued debit card was mailed to the recipient, according to the Department of Justice. Lawson and Clifton then took part of the funds received as payment.

Some state agencies required re-certification of an unemployed person's status and Clifton and Lawrence offered that service to clients for a weekly fee, court records show.

Besides Lawrence and Clifton, the following people have been accused by the Department of Justice of participating in the scam: Emanuel Smith, 49, Cleveland, Ohio; Terrance Jones, 27, Cleveland, Ohio; Quantez Lawson, 29, Cleveland, Ohio; Charles Moore, 35, Cleveland, Ohio and Mark Dailey, 54, Cleveland, Ohio.

Some of the accused have already been sentenced, the Department of Justice said, including:

• Clifton was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay $355,849 in restitution.
• Smith was sentenced to 17 months in prison and ordered to pay $23,783 in restitution.
• Jones was sentenced to 26 months in prison and ordered to pay $355,849 in restitution.
• Moore was sentenced to 8 months in prison and ordered to pay $15,246 in restitution.
• Lawson is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24, 2022.

“The deliberate actions of these individuals to cheat a program designed to assist people who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is inexcusable,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge, Eric B. Smith. “Financial crimes involving pandemic unemployment assistance affects self-employed individuals, independent contractors, gig-economy workers, and others who don’t qualify for traditional unemployment benefits."