Former Michigan unemployment agency contractor sentenced to prison for embezzlement
(CBS DETROIT) - A former contractor with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency is sentenced to five years and five months for her role in the theft of unemployment assistance funds.
Autumn Mims, 31, pleaded guilty to engaging in aggravated identity theft and conspiring to engage in wire fraud. Mims is ordered to pay $583,409 in restitution.
"We remain committed to prosecuting those who choose to enrich themselves by stealing government funds earmarked for those members of our community who are truly in need," said U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison in a statement.
Federal prosecutors say Mims, who worked with the UIA in 2020, and co-conspirator William Hayes, 27, admitted to obtaining benefits through the names of third parties.
Mims used her access to process claims in those names without the person's knowledge, and she or Hayes altered the direct deposit information and opened bank accounts, according to a press release. She also claimed to be unemployed to obtain benefits for herself.
Hayes pleaded guilty in 2023 and will be sentenced next month.
"The defendant's decision to conspire in order to obtain unlawful uninsurance benefits for personal profit while businesses and families were struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic is unconscionable," said Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI in Michigan. "Further, Ms. Mims' actions were a direct betrayal of the public trust granted to her as a contract Unemployment Insurance Examiner for the State of Michigan. Providing false information and using stolen identities to fraudulently gain access to relief funds is a theft of taxpayer money."