A man and woman from Forrest County have admitted to conspiring to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Artista Garner, 36, assisted her brother Thaddieus Cooper, 31, in applying for these benefits through the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. As an inmate serving a six-year sentence for armed robbery in the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC), Cooper was not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.
Court documents reveal that Garner used the funds for personal gain and transferred some to Cooper's commissary fund. These benefits were federally subsidized through the CARES Act, a response to the pandemic.
On September 10, 2024, a federal grand jury indicted both individuals. They pled guilty on January 30, 2025, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Sentencing is set for June 12, 2025, with each facing up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine their sentences based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The announcement came from Acting United States Attorney Patrick A. Lemon, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General Southeast Region.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General and the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force (NUIFTF). The task force includes representatives from various agencies such as FBI, DOL-OIG, IRS-CI among others working together against UI fraud nationwide.
The CARES Act was enacted on March 29, 2020, providing financial assistance during COVID-19 by expanding unemployment insurance eligibility.
Individuals aware of attempted COVID-19 related fraud can report it via the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or online complaint form.