Six people from Benton Harbor are charged with wire fraud for illegally obtaining more than $1 million in COVID-19 related unemployment benefits and small business loans. The U.S. Attorney in Grand Rapids says 45-year-old Roshell Beaty, 21-year-old Melvin Clinton, 28-year-old Danielle Branch, 22-year-old Christopher Bates, 24-year-old Brianna Rimpson, and 27-year-old Christopher Branch were part of a scheme to illegally acquire COVID-19 relief funds. It’s alleged that between April of 2020 and December of 2021, the defendants conspired to commit wire fraud by submitting false for pandemic unemployment benefits, in their own names and in the names of third parties, some of whom were victims of identity theft. According to the indictment, the six submitted at least 98 fraudulent unemployment claims in the names of at least 61 people. As a result, the states of Michigan, Indiana, California, Illinois, and Arizona paid out more than $764,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits. Also, the U.S. Attorney says five of the six defendants are charged with varying counts of wire fraud and conspiracy in connection with the fraudulent receipt of loans intended to relieve small businesses.
