PITT COUNTY, N.C. — A Pitt County woman has pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding North Carolina’s unemployment system by submitting dozens of fraudulent pandemic-related benefit applications, federal prosecutors said.
Yolanda Baker, 51, admitted to filing 65 false unemployment insurance claims with the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Employment Security, seeking more than $365,000 in federal benefits.
According to court records, Baker carried out the scheme between May 2020 and June 2021, falsely claiming employment and submitting fabricated supporting documents to obtain benefits. Once approved, the funds were deposited into bank accounts she controlled, prosecutors said.
Baker faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine when she is sentenced later this year. She will also be required to repay $368,022 as part of a forfeiture money judgment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Ontjes and investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General.
