Texas Woman, Donna Wasson, Pleads Guilty To COVID Unemployment Fraud
BOSTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Texas woman who applied for COVID-19-related unemployment benefits in Massachusetts to which she was not entitled has pleaded guilty.
Donna Wasson, of San Antonio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston to three counts of wire fraud, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office.
Wasson, 37, lied about her address, lied about the number of dependents she had, and falsely claimed she worked in Massachusetts when the pandemic hit to seek Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, according to an affidavit from a federal investigator.
PUA payments were intended for people not eligible for other types of unemployment benefits, including the self-employed, independent contractors, or gig economy workers.
Wasson also aided a former employee at the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance in filing several fraudulent unemployment claims using stolen identities, prosecutors said.
Wasson was detained pending sentencing scheduled for March 8.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)