Virginia woman sentenced in pandemic benefits fraud scheme

ABINGDON, Va. (AP) — A federal prosecutor says a Virginia woman convicted earlier this year of charges connected with a scheme to defraud the U.S. government through fake claims for pandemic unemployment benefits has been sentenced to more than two years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh says Marissa Leanna Kiser of Saint Paul was found guilty by a jury in February and sentenced on Tuesday to 27 months in prison.

Prosecutors say that over a nine-month period, Kiser and her co-conspirators filed fraudulent claims with the Virginia Employment Commission on behalf of at least 37 individuals for a total loss of at least $499,000.

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