Source: US FBI
HOUSTON – A 23-year-old Houston woman has been sentenced for conspiracy to commit wire fraud after debit cards were loaded with fraudulent funds, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jaysha Victorian pleaded guilty April 3.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has now ordered Victorian to serve 18 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard how she participated in a scheme to steal unemployment funds that were being supplemented during the pandemic, and how she was able to commit millions of dollars of fraud in just a few weeks.
Victorian worked for a bank contractor from late 2020 to early 2021 and used her access to load prepaid debit cards with fraudulent funds, including unemployment benefits for California. She credited at least 187 cards with nearly $8.6 million. Recipients withdrew or spent over $7.6 million before the bank could freeze the cards.
She admitted to using some funds herself, including a $1,000 ATM withdrawal in Houston, and received about $300,000 in cash proceeds from her role in the scheme.
She was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI, Houston Police Department, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General’s Covid Fraud Unit and Department of Labor conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad Gray and Karen Lansden prosecuted the case.