CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Just days after WCNC learned about the first Charlotte-area fraud investigation into the Paycheck Protection Program, court records show prosecutors are moving forward with their first unemployment fraud case too.
Newly filed federal court records accuse Jamel Johnson of Charlotte of using the personal information of 70 identity theft victims to file for unemployment.
Prosecutors said he collected $189,000 in benefits as a result.
Johnson faces one count of re fraud scheme, according to a federal bill of information. Court records accuse him of targeting people in Wisconsin and Arizona.
A plea agreement filed Wednesday shows Johnson is expected to plead guilty in connection to the case later this week.
Through the end of July, the North Carolina Division of Employment Security had already frozen thousands of suspicious claims for review and identified 870 suspected cases of fraud.
Those cases end up in the hands of prosecutors like Jenny Sugar.
"Stay tuned, we're continuing to investigate those leads," she said. "We do believe that bad actors who locally have used stolen identity information to file these claims and to take this taxpayer money will be prosecuted. Greedy individuals who are happy to exploit this crisis."
Sugar said investigators need the public's help. If you have a tip, you can fill out a complaint form online or call the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at (866) 720-5721.
Tips that originate in the Western District of North Carolina can also be shared directly with Sugar at (704) 344-6222.