CA Mom Admits Role In $145K+ Stimulus Check Scheme With Son

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A California woman pleaded guilty Friday to filing 121 fraudulent stimulus check claims totaling $145,200 using personal information obtained by her son, a prison inmate at San Quentin State Prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco.

Modesto resident Sheila Dunlap, 51, was indicted on May 13, 2021 with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Dunlap admitted that she conspired with her son to obtain the personal information of others and used that to apply for Economic Impact Payment funds, according to the a release from the U.S. Attorney's office. Dunlap and her son collaborated on the scheme over the phone and through text messages, prosecutors said.

In her plea agreement, Dunlop said she and her son used the information of fellow prisoners and others whom they suspected who may qualify as 2018 non-filers or 2019 income tax returns.

She said she used the information to file several fraudulent claims through the Internal Revenue Service's online EIP portal. Dunlap used her own Bank of America account to receive funds.

Dunlap's son, only identified with the initials D.W., collected personal information and sent it to an unknown third party to email his mother a spreadsheet of the 9,043 people. The pair also devised a plan to file the first applications using the stolen identities of the youngest adults on the list. This was because "they were more likely to be tax non-filers and thereby qualify for the stimulus funds," officials said.

Dunlap faces maximum sentence of 22 year s in prison and additional fines up to $500,000. She remains in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24.