George Moses, age 45, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 1 on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, and bank fraud. The announcement came from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Moses is accused of submitting false applications for unemployment compensation and other pandemic-related financial assistance in 2019 and 2020. Authorities allege that he misrepresented his income from several businesses to obtain benefits totaling $134,083.88.
The indictment also claims that Moses orchestrated a separate bank fraud scheme during the same period. He allegedly wrote checks to himself from accounts that were either closed or had insufficient funds and then deposited those checks. This activity reportedly resulted in losses of about $11,656.90 to various financial institutions.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah R. Lloyd is prosecuting the case.
Federal officials said that these offenses carry a maximum penalty under law of up to 30 years in prison as well as supervised release and fines if convicted. Sentencing will be determined by a judge following federal guidelines if there is a finding of guilt.
Authorities reminded the public that indictments are only allegations at this stage: “All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.”
