Dudley man sentenced to prison for COVID-19 unemployment fraud

A man from Dudley was sentenced in federal court in Boston to one year in prison and one year of supervised release for his involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain and misuse COVID-19-related unemployment assistance.

Norman Higgs was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris, who also ordered the 35-year-old to pay $353,551 in forfeiture, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

Higgs was arrested in the spring of 2021. Authorities said he, as well as Dquintz Alexander, submitted fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, using identifying information they stole from other people from April to June 2020.

Higgs received $353,551 in fraudulent payments, which were directed into a bank controlled by him and Alexander, the release said.

It was previously reported that when Higgs’ bank recalled a portion of those fraudulently obtained funds, Higgs allegedly paid those recalls using the proceeds from COVID-19 related government loans.

Although the majority of funds were recovered by law enforcement, or frozen by the banks, Higgs and Alexander used the funds for personal things like paying off credit card debt, funding digital currency and online brokerage accounts.

Alexander pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in April of this year. He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 10.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Norman Higgs of Dudley sentenced for COVID unemployment fraud