HAGATÑA, Guam (U.S. Attorney’s Office) — Shawn N. Anderson, United States attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Jerome Michael Cruz, age 26, from Barrigada, Guam, was sentenced in the United States District Court of Guam to 10 months imprisonment for Federal Program Theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 666(a)(1)(A) and (b) and Accessing Protected Computer in Furtherance of Fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1030(a)(4) and (c)(3)(A).
The court also ordered three years of supervised release following imprisonment, $14,210.00 in restitution, and a mandatory $200 special assessment fee.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security or CARES Act created a temporary federal unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. PUA, administered by the Guam Department of Labor, provides unemployment insurance benefits for individuals who are unemployed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and those who are not covered by typical unemployment programs (e.g., the self-employed, independent contractors, or gig economy workers).
Jerome Michael Cruz was employed by GDOL as a customer service representative assisting the public with PUA and FPUC claims. While employed, Cruz filed a claim for PUA benefits on his own behalf, falsely certifying that he was unemployed and eligible for benefits. Cruz used his knowledge and privileged access to the GDOL computer system to modify existing PUA claims and to submit fraudulent PUA claims on behalf of other persons while directing the benefits from these fraudulent claims into a bank account he controlled. As part of the scheme, Cruz logged in to the GDOL system using other employee’s credentials to certify and approve these fraudulent claims. From September 2020 through November 2020, Cruz obtained and attempted to obtain a total of $93,000 in benefits.
U.S. Attorney Shawn N. Anderson stated, “Unemployment assistance has provided vital support to many people suffering from the economic effects of the pandemic. Nationwide, the scale of fraud related to the disbursement of CARES Act funds has been staggering. While Guam has not seen the same level of criminal activity, this case reveals that it is occurring. Any theft by a government employee in a position of trust should concern the public. I applaud GDOL for holding its employees accountable.”
This case was a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Guam Department of Labor. The case was prosecuted by Benjamin K. Petersburg, assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Guam.
Jerome Cruz leaves the District Court of Guam on March 18, 2021 after he pleaded guilty to charges of pandemic unemployment fraud. At the time, Cruz was a full-time employee at the Guam Department of Labor.
