NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Jenyce Williams pleaded guilty Wednesday to fraudulently obtaining unemployment insurance benefits through personal identifiable information from individuals from out of state, Norfolk and Virginia Department of Corrections inmates.
Court documents state that from around May 2020 through November 2020, the 34-year-old and her co-conspirators planned to use stolen information such as names, date of births and social security numbers to file for unemployment insurance benefits. Williams submitted UI applications and completed weekly recertifications using the stolen information.
Williams and another conspirator entered false information into required fields for the applications such as mailing addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. and elected to be paid through a debit card, the court documents state. The false claims from 12 inmates, specifically, allowed for Williams to receive approval of around $193,332 in unemployment insurance benefits.
Due to this conspiracy, the Virginia Employment Commission approved approximately $478,640 in non-entitled benefits for inmates and two non-inmates with connections to Virginia Department of Corrections, according to court documents. Williams and her co-conspirators also filed 15 more claims from out-of-state victims resulting in approval of additional benefits of approximately $361,664.
Williams is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 3, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for her part in the scheme. The plea has been accepted and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Taylor is prosecuting the case.
