Detroit Man Pleads Guilty To Stealing Unemployment Insurance Benefits From 9 States

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DETROIT (CBS Detroit) -- A Detroit man pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft after he was accused of defrauding nine states out of more than $1.6 million in unemployment insurance benefits.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, 29-year-old Jordan Armstrong faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years on the identity theft charge.

Armstrong will be required to pay restitution to the states in a total amount of $1,611,202.

Officials say Armstrong successfully submitted applications for unemployment benefits from May 2020 through at least October 2020 in Michigan, California, Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Massachusetts, New York and Louisiana. He also submitted claims unsuccessfully in eight other states -- filing a total of more than 300 claims in 17 states and territories.

Officials say he used other people's social security numbers without their permission, directed the benefits to be paid out via debit cards and then used the cards to withdrawal the funds from ATMs throughout Metro Detroit.

Armstrong will be sentenced on March 22, 2022.