George Moses, age 45, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 1 on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, and bank fraud. The announcement was made by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The case highlights ongoing efforts to address alleged fraudulent activity related to government programs created during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Moses is accused of submitting applications for unemployment compensation and various pandemic relief loans by falsely claiming qualifying income from multiple businesses in 2019 and 2020. Authorities allege that as a result of these false claims, Moses received $134,083.88 in benefits.
The indictment also alleges that Moses orchestrated a separate bank fraud scheme during the same period. He is accused of writing checks to himself from accounts that were either closed or did not have sufficient funds and then depositing those checks into other accounts. This scheme allegedly caused approximately $11,656.90 in losses to financial institutions.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (PA DLI). Assistant United States Attorney Sarah R. Lloyd is prosecuting the case.
According to prosecutors, “The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat fraud related to the COVID19 pandemic, particularly with respect to the resources made available by Congress through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for programs including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, and the Provider Relief Fund.” The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is up to 30 years imprisonment along with supervised release after imprisonment and a fine; sentencing will be determined by a judge considering federal statutes and guidelines if there is a finding of guilt.
Authorities remind that indictments are only allegations at this stage: “All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.”
