Two men from Pennsylvania have been indicted for allegedly defrauding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program of nearly $220,000. United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Alexander Daravina, also known as Alexander Danazina and “Colombian Al,” 38, of Dallas, Pennsylvania, and Moses Benabe, 25, of Philadelphia, are facing charges including conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, seven counts of wire fraud, and seven counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to the indictment, between July 2020 and September 2020, Daravina was incarcerated at State Correctional Institution Phoenix. While there, he is accused of obtaining personal identification information—including names, dates of birth, and social security numbers—of dozens of real people, including other inmates. The indictment states that Daravina shared this information with Benabe and others and directed them to apply for PUA benefits using these identities despite knowing the individuals were not eligible.
The PUA program was created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020 to provide unemployment benefits to people who did not qualify for regular unemployment compensation or extended benefits. Approved applicants could receive payments via electronic transfer or through checks or debit cards mailed to listed addresses.
The indictment further alleges that Benabe used the stolen personal information to submit fraudulent PUA applications. Once approved, debit cards containing benefit funds were sent to addresses controlled by members of the alleged conspiracy. The defendants then withdrew cash from ATMs and made purchases using these cards.
If convicted on all charges, each defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 161 years in prison. There is a mandatory minimum sentence of two years’ imprisonment along with three years of supervised release and up to $3.75 million in fines.
The FBI and Department of Labor Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Mark Dubnoff is prosecuting.
“The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf.
