Accused Pandemic Aid Fraudster Admits He Helped Inmates Cheat

COATESVILLE, PA — A get-rich-quickly scheme to obtain Pandemic Unemployment Aid in 2020 has ended badly for one of 18 charged with fraud involving Chester County and state inmates.

A Chester County man who helped inmates — and himself — to fraudulently obtain Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) has pleaded guilty, as 18 Pennsylvania cases involving inmates and similar fraud work their way through the courts.

On Feb, 24, Jacob Fulton, 32, of Coatesville, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and fraud in connection with emergency benefits, according to Pennsylvania Eastern District Court documents.

Fulton and Emily Baier, 26, also of Coatesville, were accused of conspiring in crimes related to fraudulently obtaining pandemic unemployment benefits. According to the indictment, between July 12 and Aug. 26, 2020, Fulton and Baier conspired to file claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits on behalf of inmates of Chester County Prison and agreed to keep a portion of the PUA benefits for themselves.

Fulton allegedly told Baier that with this scheme, they “can be f******* rich,” according to court documents. The indictment also alleges that on or about May 11, 2020, Fulton and Baier filed PUA claims for themselves, fraudulently claiming that they were entitled to PUA benefits.

IRS Criminal Investigation personnel aided the investigation. An IRS public information officer today told Patch that the cases against those charged are now working their way through the courts and more convictions may be forthcoming.

The two charged were among 18 inmates charged last October, 12 from Chester County.

Fulton is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3, 2021 at 9 a.m. before Judge Eduardo C. Robreno. Fulton faces a maximum sentence of 90 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of $2,250,000. After the hearing, Fulton was remanded to the U.S. Marshal.

In all 18 Pennsylvania, prison inmates and accomplices are charged with fraudulently obtaining pandemic unemployment assistance funds, said the U.S. Attorney's office for Pennsylvania's Eastern District.

The twelve charged from Chester County were: Vincent Hazzard, 49, Jacob Fulton, 32, Emily Baier, 26, Kenneth Huggins, 24, Patrice Hawthorne, 46, Biancha Kranzley, 31, Jennifer D'Hulster, 37, Arthur Johnson, 44, and Anthony Schweitzer, 20, all of Coatesville. Also, charges from Chester County are: Christopher Hersh, 36, of Avondale, Zachary Gathercole, 30, of Sadsburyville, and Ashley Harrington, 30, of West Chester. Read that full Patch story here.

In all of the cases, the inmates falsely reported themselves eligible to receive PUA benefits when in fact they did not meet the eligibility requirements — namely, they were not able to report to a job each day because of their incarceration, according to authorities.

Six of the 18 charged are state prison inmates, accused of fraudulently applied for and obtained the same type of emergency unemployment benefits, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro reported last fall.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was created in 2020 to provide unemployment benefits to people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, who are not eligible for regular unemployment. Eligibility to receive state pandemic benefits (PAU) has required that an applicant's unemployment is related to the pandemic and that the applicant is available for daily work.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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