Kenny Lee Howard, a 32-year-old resident of Southfield, has been sentenced to 94 months in prison for his involvement in defrauding state unemployment insurance agencies during the Covid-19 pandemic. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck.
Beck's statement was supported by Megan Howell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Great Lakes Region for the U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General.
The sentencing was delivered by United States District Judge Linda V. Parker. Howard's co-defendant, David Davis, aged 27 from Detroit, had previously received a sentence of 30 months in custody. Another co-defendant, Keila Howard, has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. The case against Stevenvan Ware remains pending. All four individuals faced charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Kenny Howard also faced an additional charge of aggravated identity theft.
Court records reveal that between April 2020 and August 2021, Howard and his associates filed over 700 unemployment insurance claims across five states, mainly targeting Michigan and California. Once processed, funds were transferred onto pre-paid debit cards sent to addresses managed by the defendants who then withdrew cash from ATMs. Approximately sixty percent of these fraudulent claims succeeded, causing a $6,336,575 loss to state unemployment insurance agencies. Had all claims been approved, losses could have surpassed $11 million.
Acting United States Attorney Beck emphasized ongoing efforts to prosecute those exploiting government programs during the pandemic: “The pandemic may be over but the prosecutions...are not." She affirmed that her office continues to hold perpetrators accountable.
Megan Howell stated: “Kenny Howard III and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme...by filing for unemployment insurance in the names of identity theft victims." She reiterated their commitment to work with law enforcement partners to bring such offenders to justice.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan A. Particka and Timothy Wyse are prosecuting this case following an investigation led by the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General.