Four Sentenced this Week for Roles in Pandemic Unemployment Fraud, Mail Fraud Scheme

ABINGDON, Va. – Four more Southwest Virginia residents who conspired with over 30 other people to defraud the United States government by filing claims for more than $499,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits…

8 Civilian Employees of the Philadelphia Police Department Indicted on Theft and Fraud Charges For Collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

PHILADELPHIA –United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that the following defendants were charged with fraudulently obtaining emergency unemployment benefits related to COVID-19. Each of the following defendants was charged with one…

Remote Learning Lowered Test Scores In Every State Studied — And Was Way Worse For Minorities

Remote learning led to declines in test scores in English and math when compared to the scores of schools that had more in-person learning, according to a paper published by the National…

Moline Man Sentenced for Drug Conspiracy Committed while Incarcerated in Federal Bureau of Prisons

DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Moline, Illinois man, Luis Alberto Hernandez-Barajas, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced on Thursday, November 18, 2021 to 188 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute 50 Grams…

Laredo Field Office Set To Reopen and Resume Normal Operating Hours at the Amistad Dam Port of Entry in Del Rio

DEL RIO, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) Laredo Field Office will reopen the Amistad Dam International Bridge after a brief closure due to a maintenance…

Lakewood Man Arrested on Federal Complaint Alleging He Threatened to Bomb SBA Offices and Assault Agency Employees

LOS ANGELES – A Lakewood man was arrested on a federal criminal complaint filed today alleging he threatened to bomb Small Business Administration (SBA) offices and then, the following year, assault…

Fort Walton Beach Man Pleads Guilty To A Scheme To Defraud

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Stephen M. Alford, 62, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, pled guilty today to one count of wire fraud related to his attempt to illegally obtain $25 million, purportedly in…

Thousands Of Border Agents Were Unvaccinated A Week Before Mandate Deadline

Approximately 4,165 border agents were unvaccinated as of last week ahead of the Nov. 22 COVID-19 federal vaccine mandate deadline, according to a document obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The…

Nearly Half Of Non-Parents Under 50 Say They’re Likely Not Having Kids: POLL

A Nov. 19 Pew Research Center poll found that childless adults under 50 are less likely to expect to have children than in previous years, and parents are less likely to be…

Americans See ‘Poor Leadership’ In Government As A Bigger Problem Than The Pandemic

Americans believe poor government leadership is a bigger problem than the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent Gallup poll showed. More than 20% of Americans said that “the government/poor leadership” is the top problem…

Democrats Boast That Their Donors’ Most Common Profession Is Teacher

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) tweeted that the most common DNC donor-reported occupation in 2021 is teacher. The tweet sparked widespread mockery online, with commentators pointing out that teachers’ widespread alignment with…

New Jersey’s 7% unemployment rate is third highest in the U.S.

TRENTON, NJ – As most of America digs out quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, in New Jersey, state offices remain closed and government-imposed COVID-19 mandates are still among the most strict…

NIH Director Wants To ‘Track Down’ Spreaders Of Online Vaccine ‘Disinformation’

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins stressed the dangers of incorrect claims regarding the COVID-19 vaccines and suggested tracking down spreaders of vaccine misinformation in an interview with NPR…

Burlington Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug and Firearm Charges

DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Burlington man, Jacob Robert Hogberg, age 32, was sentenced on Thursday, November 18, 2021 by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey to 148 months in…

Davenport Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug and Firearm Charges

DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man, Deontae Montrice Lott, age 39, was sentenced on Thursday, November 18, 2021 by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey to 137 months in…

Council Bluffs Man Sentenced to Prison for Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A Council Bluffs man, Domingo Ace Vasquez, III, age 42, was sentenced on November 19, 2021, by United States District Court Senior Judge Robert W. Pratt to forty-two…

Former Corrections Officer at the Iowa Medical Classification Center Sentenced to Federal Prison for False Declarations Before a Grand Jury

DAVENPORT, Iowa – An Iowa City man, Lashaun Calvin Lacy, age 44, was sentenced on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey to three months…

Department of Justice announces $139 Million for Law Enforcement Hiring to Advance Community Policing

$375,000 Awarded to Norwalk Police Department WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice announced more than $139 million in grant funding through the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS…

Owasso Man Convicted for Applying for Paycheck Protection Program Loans under False Pretenses

An Owasso man who fraudulently applied for Paycheck Protection Program loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was convicted Thursday by a…

Florida Counseling Center Owner And Provider Sentenced To Federal Prison For Medicaid Fraud, Conspiracy, False Statements, And Identity Theft

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Jason R. Coody, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the sentencings of Stephanie Lynn Fleming, 43, and Helen Elizabeth Storey, 39, both of Waldorf,…

COVID- Page 269