Ex-Jets, Patriots, Raiders WR Kenbrell Thompkins pleads guilty in COVID relief fraud scheme
Former NFL wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins pleaded guilty in a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 unemployment insurance benefits from the state of California.
According to court records obtained by the Associated Press, Thompkins entered guilty pleas on one count of unauthorized access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in a federal court in Miami on Monday. He's scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6 and faces a maximum of 12 years in prison.
Per the plea agreement, Thompkins used stolen identities of Florida residents to apply for COVID-19 unemployment benefits from California. The state approved the applications and sent $300,000 in benefits in the form of debit cards to South Florida addresses Thompkins set up.
Per the report, around $230,000 of those funds were withdrawn from ATMs across South Florida. The benefits were part of the Covid Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act passed by the U.S. Congress. The bill's intent was to help people and businesses during the financial downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://sports.yahoo.com/ex-jets-patriots-raiders-wr-kenbrell-thompkins-pleads-guilty-in-covid-relief-fraud-scheme-004002791.html