A New Rochelle man will spend 54 months in federal prison for stealing more than $150,000 in COVID-era unemployment benefits using stolen identities.
Aly Kaba, 30, was sentenced Friday in Albany after a trial conviction for his role in the scheme.
Prosecutors said that in late 2020, Kaba conspired with his former roommate, Tony Brobbey, to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor.
Kaba used multiple stolen identities to file the claims, including two people who had died more than a decade before the pandemic. The fraudulent applications sought more than $600,000 in benefits and resulted in payments exceeding $150,000.
Authorities said Kaba spent some of the proceeds on overseas travel and a Rolex watch.
U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also ordered Kaba to serve three years of supervised release after prison. He must pay $182,227 in restitution to the states of New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island, and forfeit a money judgment.
“Kaba thought his fraud would get him some new gear and luxury vacations, but in the end, all he got was a trip to federal prison and a jumpsuit,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III said.
Brobbey previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced in January to three years of probation, including 24 consecutive weekends in jail, and ordered to pay restitution.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].