BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A Baltimore man, Duane Watts, 46, has been sentenced to 54 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in an unemployment insurance fraud scheme.
The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin and announced by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland, alongside Troy W. Springer of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and Jimmy Paul of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office.
Watts pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy from May 2020 to May 2021, in which he used personal identifying information from multiple victims, including those with mental or cognitive impairments, to submit fraudulent unemployment claims to the Maryland Department of Labor. The scheme caused financial losses exceeding $167,000, and one victim lost her job and access to needed benefits.
Watts’ co-defendants, Tiia Woods and Devante Smith, were previously sentenced to 74 and 57 months in prison, respectively, for their involvement in the conspiracy.
The fraud exploited the CARES Act, which expanded unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case was investigated by the District of Maryland Strike Force, part of a national effort targeting pandemic-related fraud.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the investigative work of DOL-OIG and the FBI, and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys John M. D’Amico and Harry M. Gruber for prosecuting the case.
