14 Michigan residents indicted on unemployment fraud charges – By Beth LeBlanc & Robert Snell (The Detroit News) / Aug 11 2021
Federal prosecutors have charged 14 southeast Michigan residents believed to be part of a scheme to defraud the unemployment systems in several states, one of the largest arrests in the crackdown on pandemic unemployment fraud.
Nine were named in an initial indictment, and charges against five others believed to be involved in the plot were unsealed shortly afterward.
The plan, allegedly developed by Sharodney Harrison, included fake email accounts, stolen personal information under which claims were filed and a California Airbnb rental from which fraudsters could collect California claims, the indictment said.
The scheme continued from Feb. 1, 2020, through Jan. 26, 2021, and included claims filed in Michigan, California, Montana, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Texas and Washington state, according to court filings.