FORT SMITH, Ark. — A Fort Smith woman has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for wire fraud in a pandemic unemployment benefits fraud scheme.
According to court documents, 26-year-old Jasmin Molina used the victim's IDs and banking information to file for pandemic-related unemployment benefits from the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services (ADWS). After filing, officials say she directed those benefit payments to her bank accounts.
Investigators were able to use the ADWS web portal to connect Molina to numerous benefits applications she made using the victim's identities.
On Dec. 8, she was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Molina was also ordered to pay $120,978 in restitution.
These benefits, called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) are authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March 2020, and are intended for those who have become unemployed for reasons related to the coronavirus pandemic.