Laurel Man Pleads Guilty In $1.5M Unemployment Insurance Scheme

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A 28-year-old Laurel man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft in connection to a Maryland and California unemployment insurance scheme totaling more than $1.5 million.

According to court documents, Michael Akame Ngwese Ay Makoge and his co-conspirators submitted more than 200 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims using victims' personal information. Makoge's plea agreement stated that from March 2020 to October 2021, he and his co-conspirators impersonated victims to submit fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance benefits in Maryland and California. As part of the scheme, Makoge and his co-conspirators obtained the birthdates, social security numbers and other personal identifying information of numerous victims, which they used to prepare and submit fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits.

The applications contained false information, including the victims’ contact information, states of residence and availability for work. The fraudulent applications led financial institutions to load unemployment insurance benefits onto debit cards and mail the cards to physical addresses provided and monitored by Makoge and his co-conspirators. Once Makoge and his co-conspirators received the fraudulently obtained benefits on the debit cards, they used them for cash withdrawals and other transactions for their own financial benefit, court documents disclosed.

A search of Makoge’s residence on Feb. 16, 2021, recovered 11 unemployment insurance debit cards in the names of six victims from the bedroom. The investigation also revealed numerous text messages between Makoge and his co-conspirators exchanging the personal identifying information of victims and discussing the execution of the unemployment insurance fraud scheme. Makoge also made numerous ATM withdrawals using the identities of victims, personally obtaining at least $35,540 as a result of his participation in the scheme. In all, Makoge and his co-conspirators submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance claims using the names and personal identifying information of at least 12 victims, resulting in more than $1.6 million in losses.

Makoge faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for the wire fraud conspiracy and a mandatory two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft.