Providence man pleads guilty to unemployment benefit fraud

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — United States Attorney Zachary Cunha said that a Providence resident pled guilty to being part of an international fraud scheme to defraud the federally-funded pandemic unemployment compensation program and to defraud an Alabama-based company.

29-year-old Obryan Poku was charged with two counts of wire fraud and one count each of theft of public funds and money laundering.

Cunha said that Poku returned to Rhode Island in June 2021, while continuing to collect pandemic unemployment insurance benefits from the Texas Workforce Commission, where he lived for two years.

Poku repeatedly said he was not receiving any income while still collecting benefits despite being employed, and collected $14,042.

He also conspired with individuals in Ghana to defraud an Alabama real estate company of $80,000 by mailing them a check for that sum for a real estate transaction, and then asking for it be reimbursed when the fake deal fell through.

Cunha added that Poku also worked with the individuals in Ghana to launder $70,644 in pandemic unemployment benefits received from the Illinois Department of Economic Security using the stolen IDs of three people.

Poku is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17.