Detroit Man Admits To Stealing $1.6 Million Unemployment Funds

DETROIT — A Detroit man admitted Wednesday to stealing over $1.6 million in unemployment benefits from nine different states, Acting United States Attorney Saima Mohsin said.

Jordan Armstrong, 29, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft in a scheme to defraud nine states out of more than $1.6 million in unemployment insurance benefits, the news release said.

Armstrong faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the charge of wire fraud and a mandatory minimum sentence of 2 years in prison on the charge of identity theft, the news release said.

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Armstrong will also have to pay a total of $1,611,202 in restitution to the states he stole from, the news release said.

Armstrong will be sentenced on March 22, 2022, the news release said.

Between May and October 2020, Armstrong filed for unemployment benefits by using other people's social security numbers without their consent. He applied for the benefits in Michigan, California, Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Massachusetts, New York and Louisiana. He also unsuccessfully submitted claims in eight other states, in total filing more than 300 claims across 17 states and territories, the news release said.

Armstrong directed the benefits to be paid out onto debit cards and then used the cards to withdraw the funds from ATMs throughout Metro Detroit, the news release said.