Errol Murray, a 22-year-old resident of Yonkers, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme to obtain nearly $70,000 in unemployment insurance benefits. The scheme included benefits funded by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Murray plead guilty in May 2023; confessing to providing co-conspirator, Jamie Johnson, with personally identifiable information (PII). Johnson then used this information to file false claims online with the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL). Ultimately, the NYSDOL paid out $69,954 in unemployment insurance benefits due to the two fraudulent applications submitted by Johnson.
Johnson had previously plead guilty to illegally obtaining $701,441 in unemployment insurance benefits as part of the larger scheme. Murray’s co-defendants, Taliek Lanier and Thomas Brace, also plead guilty to charges related to their roles in the criminal activities. Lanier received a 12 month prison sentence, followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Brace was sentenced to time served and 3 years of supervised release.
The announcement of Murray’s sentencing was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and others from the Northern District of New York. Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn sentenced Errol Murray to 12 months imprisonment. He also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release following his prison release. Furthermore, the court ordered Murray to pay $69,954 in restitution to the State of New York.
