United States of America v. Katrina McCant

Baltimore, Maryland, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1341 and aggravated identity theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1028 A.

Reported by: Kent Morlan

Beginning in January 2021, and continuing until December 2021, Katrina McCant, 41, of Baltimore, used her position as a contractor for Company #1 to advance the scheme. Company #1 provided support services to MD-DOL. While working for the MD-DOL, McCant enriched herself by fraudulently obtaining UI benefits.

McCant used her insider access to MD-DOL data and databases to upload and approve documents submitted in support of UI claims. Some of the claims she initiated herself while others she took over by changing the claimant’s email address and name to her own.

In furthering the scheme, she removed holds on UI claims, certified weeks, and engaged in other actions to facilitate fraudulent UI benefit payments. As part of the scheme, McCant changed the names of the claimants to facilitate the direct deposit of funds into her financial accounts. She also used the personal identifiable information (PII) of multiple real people, who were aggravated identity theft victims, to make changes to UI claims in the MD-DOL system.

Additionally, McCant used her insider access to MD-DOL data and databases to upload and approve certain documents submitted in support of UI claims. McCant also used her access to remove fraud holds on UI claims, certify weeks, and engage in other actions to facilitate the payment of fraudulent UI benefits for other individuals. These individuals paid McCant a one-time fee, often through PayPal, to fraudulently approve or facilitate fraudulent claims. McCant’s fee varied depending on the size of the claim, as she received amounts that ranged from approximately $500 to $8,000 per claim.

The Defendant elected to plead guilty.