DETROIT – Fourteen people have been indicted for wrongfully obtaining pandemic unemployment assistance benefits in multiple states, according to the Department of Justice.
The indictment alleges that nine defendants conspired together to commit wire fraud by filing fraudulent unemployment insurance claims in the names of people who were not aware their names were being used, or who were not eligible for benefits, often in several states for the same person.
Charged in the indictment are:
- Sharodney Harrison, 36, of Detroit;
- Seandrea Crawford, 27, of Detroit;
- Sharrell Harrison, 33, of Eastpointe;
- Sha-Ron Harrison, 31, of Harper Woods;
- Sharease Harrison, 35 of Detroit;
- Edward Taylor, 36, of Detroit;
- James Mayfied, 36, of Detroit;
- Frank Jennings, 43, of Dearborn Heights; and
- Sharonda Griffin, 31, of Center Line.
Criminal complaints in related cases charge:
- Brandi Randall, 35, of Detroit, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud;
- Eric Matthews, 27, of Detroit, with wire fraud;
- Lenora Calliway, 35, of Highland Park, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud;
- Steven Johnson, 32, of Detroit, with wire fraud; and
- Tyshia Coleman, 37, of Detroit, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
- Another criminal complaint charges Sharodney Harrison with being a felon in possession of firearms.
Since June 2020, a total of 37 defendants have been charged in the Eastern District of Michigan with federal crimes relating to fraudulently seeking pandemic unemployment insurance benefits. Six defendants have entered guilty pleas; the remaining 31 cases are still pending. Collectively, these defendants are alleged to have submitted over $20 million in fraudulent pandemic unemployment insurance claims to the workforce agencies in Michigan and other states.