Albuquerque man pleads guilty to COVID-19 relief fraud charges

Albuquerque man pleads guilty to COVID-19 relief fraud charges

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Albuqeruqeue man pleaded guilty to COVID-19 relief fraud charges.

Between April 2020 and October 2020, Pholopater Faltas, 26, submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance applications to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions in the names of at least eight individuals. Officials said he solicited personally identifying information from these individuals and falsely promised to access benefits on their behalf.


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The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions disbursed at least $66,867 in unemployment benefits, which Faltas controlled through debit cards and bank accounts. Faltas misled the individuals about their eligibility and kept the majority of the funds for himself, according to court documents.

Faltas is charged with federal mail and wire fraud charges. The court ordered that Faltas remain on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

At sentencing, Faltas faces up to 30 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million.

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