2 brothers sentenced for unemployment, social security fraud

MIAMI – Two brothers were sentenced Monday to 94 months and 82 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for filing fraudulent unemployment insurance and social security claims using stolen identities.

U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga also ordered restitution for Renet Blanc in the amount of $25,724 in addition to his 94-month sentence, and restitution for Ronet Blanc in the amount of $63,366 in addition to his 82-month sentence.

The sentence resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, Office of the Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, Michigan Unemployment Agency and the North Miami Beach Police Department.

According to court documents, Ronet Blanc, 24, and Renet Blanc, 20, were involved in a scheme that used the stolen identities of Michigan and Florida residents to file fraudulent unemployment insurance claims in both of those states. The State of Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency then sent unemployment payment via direct deposit to bank accounts in Florida controlled by the Blancs, who were caught on bank surveillance photos withdrawing the unauthorized funds.

On March 18, federal agents and officers executed a federal search warrant at the Blancs’ residence. In Renet Blanc’s bedroom, law enforcement discovered numerous sheets of paper, ledgers and other documents containing personally identifiable information (PII) including names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of individuals who did not appear to live at the Blancs’ residence. In particular, law enforcement found in excess of 50 unique sets of PII on notebook paper, W-2 employment forms, patient records and a debit card Renet Blanc was captured using at the bank to withdraw fraudulent unemployment insurance funds.

In Ronet Blanc’s bedroom, law enforcement discovered a laptop computer that contained his resume and a spreadsheet containing PII, including names, dates of birth and social security numbers of at least 3,000 individuals, including residents of Michigan and Florida.

In addition to the fraudulent unemployment insurance claims, the Blancs filed fraudulent Social Security claims worth over $2,000,000.

The Blancs each pleaded guilty to one count of using one or more unauthorized access devices to obtain $1,000 in value or more during one calendar year, as well as to one count of possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft.