9 SC inmates, 6 others charged in multi-million dollar unemployment scheme

Alexa Jurado
·3 min read
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Fifteen people have been charged in a fraud scheme that has cost the United States government nearly $5 million, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

An investigation led by the U.S. Secret Service revealed that from March 2020 to December 2020, nine inmates of the S.C. Department of Corrections conspired with inmates, friends and relatives to claim COVID-19 unemployment benefits from South Carolina and seven other states, according to a press release from the justice department.

The inmates used personal identification information — like Social Security numbers and dates of birth — of inmates and others to submit unemployment claims to the state Department of Employment and Workforce, according to the justice department. Some of these inmates provided their information willingly in exchange for a portion of the money received, while others had no knowledge of the scheme.

The inmates also acquired the personal information of people outside of the corrections department using extortion schemes. Using contraband cellphones, they posed as younger men and women and lured individuals to send them nude or compromising photos, the Department of Justice said. In turn, they then extorted these individuals into sending money or photos of their Social Security cards and driver’s licenses.

The non-incarcerated defendants in the case received unemployment benefits in the names of the extortion victims and the inmates in the form of government checks and prepaid Visa debit cards. They then used ATM withdrawals, wire transfers and mobile banking to make the money available to the inmates.

The following people have been charged in the case, according to the Department of Justice:

▪ Reginald Raynard White, Jr., an SCDC inmate, faces twenty counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Christopher Ford, an SCDC inmate, faces one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Marvin Lee Trotter, an SCDC inmate, faces two counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Dawn Hall, of Kansas City, MO, faces ten counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Benika Kershaw, Chester, SC, faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Albert J. Cave, Jr., an SCDC inmate, faces one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Jason Andrew Cash, an SCDC inmate, faces eight counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Stepheno Lemain Alston, an SCDC inmate, faces seven counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ James Griffin, an SCDC inmate, faces five counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ John Travis Mace, an SCDC inmate, faces four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Ronald Gene Harvey, an SCDC inmate, faces four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Bridgette Cash, of Landrum, SC, faces one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Latasha Alston, of St. Helena Island, SC, faces eight counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Lori Robinson, of Monroe Township, NJ, faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

▪ Jessica Howell, of Southport, NC, faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

Each count of wire fraud and each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and up to $1,000,000 in fines.

Winston Holliday and Scott Matthews, assistant U.S. attorneys, are prosecuting the case.