A Fort Lauderdale, Fla. man who spent years swindling unemployment and COVID relief funds from the system just had his hustle blown all the way up – and now, he’s looking at some serious time in jail.
Conrad Brandon Bernard pled guilty to bank fraud and identity theft on Nov. 15, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
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As News 4 JAX reports, authorities believe the 24-year-old ran his scheme between May 2020 and December 2022, stealing the identities of at least 14 people to get his hands on over $1 million in COVID and unemployment benefits.
The State’s Attorney’s Office says the United States Small Business Association (SBA) approved applications Bernard filed for COVID relief funds under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and transferred money into multiple bank accounts he set up using other people’s personal identification information. He then moved the funds he received from the government into accounts in his name.
Bernard also allegedly used personal identification information from people without their knowledge or consent to access unemployment benefits from several states, including West Virginia and Arizona which he deposited into his personal accounts. According to the State’s Attorney’s Office, Bernard hustled the government out of a total of $1,083,340 over the nearly two-year period.
A police investigation found that Bernard had a collection of fake identification, including passports and Florida driver’s licenses, as well as the names, dates of birth and social security numbers of “several thousand individuals,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s statement.
If Bernard is found guilty, he could spend up to 30 years in prison for bank fraud, followed by a mandatory consecutive two years for aggravated identity theft.vHis sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2025.
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