State College man charged by the Justice Department with fraud in COVID relief case
A State College man was charged Wednesday with the theft of more than $30,000 in COVID-19 emergency aid that federal prosecutors allege he used for his own benefit.
Timothy Omo-Taiga, 24, intends to plead guilty to a count of wire fraud at a future hearing, according to an agreement made public Wednesday. Defense lawyer Ron Saupe declined comment Thursday.
Omo-Taiga submitted fraudulent applications for public assistance in several states from May 2020 through May 2021, the Justice Department alleged. Many contained false statements and the unauthorized use of names and others’ personal information.
The applications also falsely claimed the person named in the application was unemployed because of the pandemic, one of the requirements to be eligible for payments.
The plea agreement requires him to pay more than $59,000 in restitution.
An Associated Press analysis found fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funding; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent. Combined, the loss represented 10% of the $4.2 trillion the U.S. government had so far disbursed in COVID relief aid.
More than 2,000 people have been charged with pandemic-related fraud crimes.
