OHIO — Darmani Hawkins, 21, of Aurora, has been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for his role in two separate fraud schemes that targeted COVID-19-era unemployment benefits and the U.S. Postal Service.
U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent handed down the sentence after Hawkins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and mail theft.
Hawkins was also ordered to pay $681,114.14 in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.
According to court documents, Hawkins participated in schemes between 2020 and 2023 to fraudulently obtain pandemic unemployment benefits and steal checks from the mail.
In the first scheme, Hawkins and his co-conspirators exploited the CARES Act, designed to assist those unemployed due to COVID-related shutdowns.
They submitted fraudulent unemployment applications to multiple states, falsely claiming eligibility for benefits.
Once approved, states mailed unemployment benefits in the form of debit cards, which Hawkins and others used to withdraw cash for personal use.
The scheme resulted in a loss of approximately $425,000.
In the second scheme, Hawkins used a social media platform to recruit postal workers to steal checks from the U.S. Postal Service in exchange for payment.
He also recruited individuals to deposit the stolen checks into their bank accounts, which Hawkins accessed to withdraw or receive funds. The stolen check scheme caused more than $700,000 in losses.
“Mr. Hawkins shamelessly exploited federal resources intended to help those who became unemployed as a result of an uncontrollable, life-changing world event. His deceitful actions were selfish and heartless, diverting much-needed funds away from those who lost their jobs through no fault of their own,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio.
“He also manipulated others to steal checks and misuse our banking system in a greedy effort to make easy money. Those, like Mr. Hawkins, who seek to capitalize on the misfortune of others by abusing federal safety nets established to protect the needy, and who steal from the U.S. taxpayer and private citizens, will be held to account and brought to justice.”
Postal Inspector in Charge Lesley Allison of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Pittsburgh Division added, “The sentencing of Mr. Hawkins should send a strong message to anyone who believes they can deceive government programs designed to help the American public in times of need. As part of our mission, postal inspectors will aggressively work to protect the public and prevent criminal misuse of the mail. We value our relationships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the law enforcement partners involved in bringing Mr. Hawkins to justice.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI Cleveland Division. Assistant United States Attorney Erica Barnhill prosecuted the case.
