Schemer In Chesco Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Pleads Guilty

WEST CHESTER, PA — A Chester County defendant who was among 18 charged last fall for conspiring to collect pandemic unemployment benefits fraudulently has pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges.

Jacob Fulton, 32, of Coatesville, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and fraud in connection with emergency benefits, according to an information officer for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Fulton, and Emily Baier, 26, both of Coatesville, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, and fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits, and aiding and abetting.

According to the federal 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.” The indictment also alleged that on or about May 11, 2020, Fulton and Baier filed PUA claims for themselves, fraudulently claiming that they are entitled to PUA benefits.

Fulton is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3 in courtroom 13B 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.

Baier pleaded not guilty to all counts against her on Oct. 6, 2020. Her plea hearing is set for April 6 at 11 a.m. before Judge Eduardo C. Robreno.

Fulton and Baier were among 12 in Chester County charged in October 2020, including prison inmates who fraudulently filed for and received CARES Act pandemic unemployment benefits, according to the U.S. Attorney for Pennsylvania's Eastern District.

Others charged were Vincent Hazzard, 49, 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.

One team of those charged made off with $12,000 in unemployment benefits on a prepaid card, filed in the name of an inmate, and cashed by on accomplice outside prison walls. Some received more than $14,000 in payments after stating on applications that they were able to work, when they were actually incarcerated. One state inmate garnered $22,000 fraudulently, according to authorities.

In addition to the 12 charged who were from Chester County, another six were charged in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in similar fraud schemes to obtain pandemic benefits.

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.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) provides unemployment benefits to people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, not eligible for regular unemployment. Eligibility to receive state pandemic benefits (PAU) requires that an applicant's unemployment is related to the pandemic and that the applicant is available for daily work.

After the hearing, Fulton was remanded to the U.S. Marshal.

Read an earlier Patch report on this case here.