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Two Jamaicans are facing charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for allegedly plotting to defraud a programme for New York City's homeless veterans of more than $5.4 million.
According to the complaint filed last month, 37-year-old Rudean Weir, of Atlanta, and 46-year-old Jerome Weah, of Edison, New Jersey, filed hundreds of fraudulent applications for cash assistance through the Enhanced One Shot Deal programme.
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and unsealed on July 6.
The One Shot Deal programme offers one-time cash assistance to help people move from temporary to permanent housing and can be used for rent, security deposits, broker's fees and other expenses.
The New York City Human Resources Administration received more than 340 fraudulent programme applications between 2020 and this year linked to Weir and Weah.
Based on a review of about 60 applications, a city investigator found that the applications included fraudulent lease agreements between veterans and one particular landlord.
The applications also contained fake identification cards and forms requesting payment to a company for brokerage services.
The defendants obtained the personally identifiable information of at least two veterans by soliciting email applications for COVID-19 relief payments.
More than 1,000 cheques totalling more than $3.6 million went to a bank account controlled by Weir, and more than 300 checks worth more than $1 million went to an account controlled by Weah.
Weir also sent more than 100 cheques worth more than $1 million from his bank account to one controlled by Weah.
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