Detroit man sentenced to prison for stealing $1.6M in unemployment benefits from 9 states

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Detroit man was sentenced to 39 months in prison for fraudulently collecting $1.6 million in unemployment benefits in nine states.

Jordan Armstrong, 29, used names of people without their knowledge to submit fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits in the names of individuals in Michigan, California, Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Massachusetts, New York, and Louisiana. 

He also tried the scheme in eight other states, filing more than 300 claims in total using people's Social Security Numbers and other personal identifiable information from May 2020 through October 2020.

During his sentencing Wednesday, he was also ordered to pay $1,611,202 to the states he scammed. 

"Mr. Armstrong’s scheme exploited programs designed to support small businesses and unemployed Americans and diverted money away from those who were in need during the pandemic," said Josh Hauxhurst, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Division. "Thanks to the hard work of all the agencies involved in this investigation, Mr. Armstrong has been held to account for his criminal actions."