DOJ: Louisiana woman accused of stealing names, SSNs, on social media for fraud scheme
LOUISIANA (KLFY) -- A federal grand jury recently returned a three-count indictment charging Tynea Lynnshay Gray, 23, of Donaldsonville and Prairieville, Louisiana, with mail fraud and wire fraud.
According to the indictment, between June 2020 and October 2021, Gray allegedly submitted claims for unemployment insurance benefits in California in her name and in the names of other individuals.
She is also accused of submitting claims for Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) benefits in the names of fictitious businesses and based on fictitious business profits and losses, the Department of Justice said.
Gray obtained names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers of others, and submitted fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance benefits in their names, with and without their knowledge or consent, the DOJ said, and captured people’s identifying information through social media and used the information to file numerous unemployment insurance claims.
When receiving the funds, she either gave a portion of the funds to others or kept all the funds for herself, the DOJ said.
Through her scheme, Gray allegedly obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in prepaid debit cards in the mail and in February, 2021, is accused of devising a scheme to defraud a lender and the United States, through the Small Business Administration, by filing false and fraudulent applications for PPP funds.
Around February 2, 2021, she is accused of submitting false and misleading PPP application in the business name of “Royaldiamondzkollection LLC” seeking PPP funds, the DOJ said, and submitted a forged bank statement, false tax documents, and made misrepresentations in her PPP applications.
Gray caused over $550,000 in prepaid debit cards to be mailed to her addresses, to which she and others were not entitled. She also caused $20,833 to be deposited into her bank account, to which she was not entitled, the DOJ said.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Labor-OIG and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner.