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Two Florida residents sentenced for stealing Michigan identities

Posted at 2:50 PM, Apr 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-16 17:39:00-04

LANSING, Mich. – Two Florida residents were sentenced earlier this month to prison for stealing Michigan residents’ identities for unemployment benefits.

The state Talent Investment Agency announced Monday that Wickenbert Clacema, 37, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and Tamara St. Hilaire, 33, was sentenced to 24 months.  The two were sentenced on April 3.

Clacema had pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft and St. Hilaire had pleaded guilty to Aggravated Identity Theft.  Both had been charged with illegally using Social Security numbers and debit card numbers to get unemployment benefit from the Michigan Unemployment Agency.

Both are also required to pay restitution of over $162,000.

“Identity theft can lead to significant time in prison,” said Wanda M. Stokes, Director of the Talent Investment Agency in a press release. “These two cases show that Michigan will not tolerate stealing unemployment insurance funds.”