BOSTON — Two corrections officers are facing federal charges for allegedly collecting upwards of $40,000 in unearned pandemic unemployment benefits and small business loans.
Christnel Orisca, 25, of Boston, was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution.
Jasmine Murphy, 38, of Boston, was indicted on seven counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution.
Both were arrested on Friday morning and will appear in federal court in Boston.
According to the Department of Justice, Orisca fraudulently applied for pandemic unemployment and small business loan benefits while working full-time, initially for a security company and later for a delivery company since late 2021. He reportedly collected $54,700 in benefits.
Murphy allegedly applied for similar loans in January 2022 while working for trucking and workforce services companies, collecting $44,346 in benefits she was not entitled to.
Although both are currently employed by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, officials say the alleged illegal loans were obtained before both Orisca and Murphy worked as corrections officers. Orisca has been a corrections officer with the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department since late 2021 and Murphy was hired as a corrections officer since January 2022.
“This case highlights the critical importance of protecting taxpayer-funded programs like the CARES Act from fraud and abuse,” said United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “These defendants, who hold positions of public trust as corrections officers, are alleged to have knowingly exploited pandemic relief programs intended to support small businesses and unemployed workers during a time of unprecedented crisis. Such conduct not only undermines the integrity of these programs but also betrays the public’s trust.”
Boston 25 News has reached out to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charge of making false statements to a financial institution provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1 million fine.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2024 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
