COVID-19 Fraud Lands Sarasota Man In Federal Prison For 5 Years: DOJ

SARASOTA, FL — A 34-year-old Sarasota man was sentenced to five years and one month in federal prison for COVID-19-related fraud, according to a Department of Justice news release.

Randy Xavier Jones was convicted of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He pleaded guilty to the charges March 24.

In addition to prison time, Jones is required to forfeit any proceeds that can be traced to his crimes, including 12 fraudulently obtained prepaid debit cards with unemployment insurance benefits to which he wasn’t entitled, the DOJ said.

From July 2020 to September 2020, Jones defrauded several federal and state programs by obtaining COVID-19-related benefits he wasn’t eligible for, including a loan through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and unemployment insurance benefits from state workforce agencies, the DOJ said.

He received a $50,000 EIDL loan in the name of a non-existent entity. He also received prepaid debit cards through unemployment insurance programs in Arizona, California, Nevada and others.

To retrieve the proceeds of his scheme, Jones flew from Florida to California and, over several weeks, withdrew cash from the prepaid debit cards, the DOJ said.

Through both schemes, Jones and others obtained nearly a half million dollars, the agency added.

His crimes were investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General.