A man who stole over $200,000 through identity theft and unemployment fraud was sentenced to 4 ½ years in federal prison. James McAuliffe, 55, carried out his fraudulent activities from the backroom of a Kansas laundromat. Capitalizing on the increased funding during the COVID-19 pandemic, McAuliffe stole taxpayers’ money by filing false unemployment claims using stolen identities. For each of the six counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, he received 2 ½ years and 2 years sentences respectively. He will serve his time concurrently and has also been ordered to pay $203,616 in restitution.

McAuliffe would change the addresses of people living in Maine on government records and make unemployment claims under their names. There were 51 victims of identity theft and 26 successful fraudulent claims as noted by his attorney, Daniel Dube. McAuliffe was also using fentanyl during this period.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Sean Green, the money wasn’t used for extravagant purchases but likely spent on drugs. He highlighted that although the government was struggling to catch and prosecute all fraudsters during the relief money disbursement in the COVID-19 pandemic, McAuliffe’s prosecution served as a stark reminder of the justice system’s unwavering commitment to fully prosecuting anyone caught in such acts.