DETROIT (AP) — A former contractor for the state of Michigan has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for helping orchestrate a $3.8 million fraud scheme involving money intended to help unemployed people during the coronavirus pandemic.
A federal judge sentenced 40-year-old Brandi Hawkins to 58 months in federal prison on Thursday and ordered her to pay nearly $3.8 million in restitution to the state.
The Detroit woman, a former contract employee with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in June.
She admitted receiving bribes from people to file fraudulent unemployment insurance claims seeking money intended for people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
