Defendants Plead Guilty to Felony Theft and Identity Fraud Charges After Filing Fraudulent COVID -19 Unemployment Insurance Claims

ROCKVILLE, MD News (2/20/2024) – Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced the convictions of Kelvin Konadu Ntim Boadu, Cindy Thompson Boadu and Kwame Boadu of Rockville, Maryland for their roles in filing fraudulent Unemployment Insurance claims during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of Theft by Deception, with a value over $100,000, one count of Conspiracy to Commit Theft by Deception with a value of over $100,000, and four counts of Identity Fraud, all felonies. Baltimore City Circuit Court Senior Judge John Addison Howard will sentence Kelvin Konadu Ntim Boadu on February 29, 2024, and Kwame Boadu and Cindy Boadu on July 22, 2024.

The Boadus’ convictions stem from at least 38 fraudulent unemployment claims they filed in the names of identity fraud victims between June and July of 2020, after the federal government allocated billions of dollars in funding to states for residents who were suddenly unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. By filing these fraudulent unemployment claims using the personal identification information for 38 individuals, Kelvin Konadu Ntim Boadu, Cindy Thompson Boadu and Kwame Boadu caused the Maryland Department of Labor to distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits onto bank debit cards. Upon receiving the debit cards, the defendants were able to spend over $200,000 of the funds intended for unemployed residents of the State of Maryland for their personal benefit. As part of their sentences, the defendants will be ordered to pay $222,035.34 in restitution to the Maryland Department of Labor.

In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Brown thanked his Criminal Division, specifically, the Fraud and Corruption Unit and Assistant Attorneys General Alyn Pearson and Michael Palisano, and investigative auditor Amy Amy for their work on this case, as well as the Beacon team at the Division of Unemployment Insurance and the Maryland Department of Labor.

Story by Maryland Attorney General’s Office