Sentence begins for Detroit man in $11 million state benefits scam
(CBS DETROIT) - A Detroit man turned himself in last week and will begin serving his sentence in connection to operating a scheme that cost the state $11 million.
Dewan Williams, 47, will begin serving his 2-20 year sentence for conducting a state and federal benefits scheme.
He was sentenced in February on one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, and one count of identity theft, a five-year felony, for using stolen personal information for thousands of victims to defraud the state.
"The threat of identity theft is real, and I urge Michigan residents to educate and protect themselves against potential victimization," said Nessel at the time of sentencing. "My Michigan Identity Theft Support team, known as MITS, stands ready to assist victims of identity theft in recovering from the impact of this crime and my team of prosecutors will continue to work to hold perpetrators accountable."
State health officials and state police discovered that Williams was operating a scheme in which fake Medicaid benefits were used so he could qualify for and obtain free government cell phones.
He then took these phones and sold them for a profit.
During the investigation, authorities recovered about 150 new and pre-packaged Safelink Wireless phones from Williams' home and personal information that was stolen from about 7,000 victims.
These fake applications cost the state $11 million in unnecessary payments. After officials discovered the fake accounts, they were shut down, and the money was recovered.