Stealing unemployment benefits during COVID; Milwaukee woman sentenced
MILWAUKEE - Nikki Brown, 43, of Milwaukee was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for stealing $494,498 in unemployment benefits made available under the CARES Act during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nikki Brown previously pled guilty to one count of wire fraud.
According to documents filed in the case, Brown recruited third parties to help file fraudulent federal unemployment claims in six different states, including Wisconsin. Brown convinced dozens of people to give her their personally identifiable information (PII) by promising to give them a portion of the fraud proceeds.
Brown then used the PII to file false and fraudulent unemployment claims, which resulted in her stealing $494,498 of unemployment benefits.
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"Nikki Brown’s sentencing reiterates the Office of Inspector General’s commitment to bringing to justice those who conspire to file fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims. Protecting the integrity of the UI program is one of our highest priorities, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard the UI program for those who need it," said Irene Lindow, Special Agent-inCharge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Great Lakes Region.