A South Pittsburg woman has been sentenced to serve 51 months in federal prison for her involvement in a scheme to defraud COVID-19 unemployment programs in several states.
Evelyn Blevins, 48, appeared before Judge Curtis Collier.
Following her incarceration, she will be on five years of supervised release.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Ms. Blevins pled guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
She was ordered to pay $109,683 in restitution to the Tennessee and California Departments of Labor, and to forfeit to the United States $109,683 as part of a money judgment.
According to court documents, from June 2020 through August 2021, Ms. Blevins conspired with others to devise a scheme in which she defrauded the United States government and the governments of Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, and California to obtain money from the states’ COVID relief programs in the form of unemployment insurance proceeds funded by the United States government.
Specifically, she acquired personal information from others and used it to fraudulently make mass online applications for money earmarked by the states to provide unemployment insurance relief for those affected by the national pandemic.
She falsely claimed in the applications that the individuals whose personal information was reflected on the applications worked in those states. The states then mailed debit cards to addresses in the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Blevins would receive a percentage of the payout of the fraudulent claim. T
he defendant was personally responsible for the fraudulent distribution of nearly $110,000 of unemployment protection insurance funds.
The scheme itself involved the fraudulent distribution of over $550,000 in unemployment protection insurance funds.
“The defendant selfishly sought to take advantage of federal and state efforts to provide relief to those most harmed by the COVID pandemic,” said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton, III. “We remain committed to partnering with all law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute those who steal from federal relief plan programs, depriving others who are most in need.”
“The defendant’s actions cheated a program designed to assist people who were suffering as a result of the COVID pandemic,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge, Joseph E. Carrico. “Today’s sentencing exemplifies the continued commitment of the FBI and our federal and state law enforcement partners to hold those who engage in COVID relief fraud accountable for their actions.”
Assistant United States Attorney Steve Neff represented the United States. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the FBI as part of the Smoky Mountains Financial Crimes Task Force.