Providence Man Sentenced In $7K COVID Unemployment Benefit Fraud

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Providence man will have to serve 30 days in jail after he tried to double dip into unemployment benefits in two states, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Rhode Island said.

Deeshawn Gadson, 32, pled guilty in January to wire fraud after he filed a fraudulent application for unemployment benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.

In April 2020, Gadson, who lived and worked in Rhode Island, submitted online applications to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training for benefits that had been made available by the CARES Act. He received approximately $20,302 in unemployment benefits starting in May 2020.

Gadson then tried and succeeded to apply for benefits in Arizona, falsely stating that he lived and worked there. He was paid $7,170 in PUA program benefits that he was not legally entitled to receive, officials said.

Gadson was sentenced on Wednesday to 30 days of incarceration, followed by three years of federal supervised release, with the first three months to be served in home confinement with electronic monitoring.

He was also ordered to pay $7,170 in restitution to the Arizona State Department of Economic Safety.