8 Civilian Philadelphia Police Workers Accused Of Fraud, Theft

PHILADELPHIA — Eight civilian employees in the Philadelphia Police Department have been federally charged with fraud and theft after authorities said they illegally got pandemic unemployment assistance while working for the department.

United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said eight people are federally charged with one count of mail or wire fraud and one count of theft of government funds.

The following people have been charged: Philadelphia residents Shannon Reynolds, 25; Najah Harrell, 32; Korey Kinard, 29; Keely Maude, 23; Paulette Johnson, 55; Monica Pelzer, 45; and Yarelis Feliciano, 28; and Tashika White, age 50, of Cheltenham.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw will suspend these employees for 30 days with the intent to dismiss at the end of the 30 days upon completion of arrest procedures.

Reynolds, Harrell, Kinard, Maude, White, Pelzer and Feliciano worked as radio dispatchers for the department. Johnson worked as a clerk for the PPD.

Each defendant is charged in a separate Indictment with the two counts noted above.

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law. The CARES Act created the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which provides unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended unemployment benefits, including individuals, families, and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligibility to receive weekly unemployment benefits is predicated on an applicant’s unemployment for reasons related to the pandemic, and it requires that the applicant was able to work each day and, if offered a job, would have been able to accept it. Once an applicant is approved to receive benefits, the applicant is required to submit weekly certifications indicating that he or she: was ready, willing and able to work each day; was seeking full time employment; did not refuse any job offers or referrals; and had reported any employment during the week and the gross pay or other payments received.

Each of the eight charged are alleged to have submitted weekly certifications saying that they were not employed and were ready, willing, and able to work each day, authorities said.

The Indictments charge that these statements were false because each defendant was employed at the time by the Philadelphia Police Department.

According to the Indictments, as part of the weekly certifications, each defendant also certified that he or she was not earning any wages or grossly unreported true wages to secure eligibility.

However, these statements are also allegedly false according to Philadelphia Police Department payroll records, authorities said.

As a result of these false statements, each defendant received pandemic unemployment assistance funds for multiple weeks in which he or she also collected his or her PPD salary, according to authorities.