Michigan pair charged in $4.1 million unemployment fraud scheme

Two Michigan residents, Shawn Carter and Danielle Thomas, have been charged in a federal scheme involving more than $4.1 million in fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. Between March 2020 and March 2022, the pair allegedly exploited pandemic-era benefits across 32 states by filing 409 fraudulent claims.

The scheme involved using both their own Social Security numbers and those belonging to others to generate debit cards, which were then used to withdraw cash at ATMs in the metro Detroit area. Investigators traced the activity through shared IP addresses, email accounts, and financial records.

Thomas was previously arrested after presenting a counterfeit driver's license during a fraud investigation in Dearborn.