NEWARK, NJ — Jefferson Robert, 31, of Newark, has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for conspiring to fraudulently obtain more than $700,000, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced on March 18. Robert previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Julien X. Neals to an information charging him with conspiring to commit wire fraud. Neals imposed the sentence by videoconference on March 18.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Robert opened bank accounts with a fraudulent passport in another individual’s name. He and his conspirators then caused an application to be made to the Washington State Employment Security Department for unemployment insurance benefits in the name of a victim. In response, the ESD deposited benefits into one of the fraudulent bank accounts. Robert and his conspirators: partook in business email scams, including causing a victim to transfer approximately $28,000 into one of the bank accounts; partook in romance scams, including causing a victim to make five deposits into one of the bank accounts totaling approximately $19,000; and fraudulently obtained money from the IRS by causing the IRS to transfer payments in four victims’ names into one of the bank accounts. Once the fraudulently obtained money was in the bank accounts, Robert moved the money, including through the purchase of money orders. Robert and his conspirators caused more than $700,000 in losses.
In addition to the prison term, Neals sentenced Robert to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $675,371.
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