GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Six people from Benton Harbor have been charged for pandemic fraud schemes. The six obtained more than $1 million in COVID-19 relief, including fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits and small business loans.
According to the Department of Justice, the group includes 45-year-old Roshell Beaty (aka Roshell Clinton, Angel Clinton, and Angel Beaty), her 21-year-old son Melvin Clinton, her 28-year-old daughter Danielle Branch (aka Danielle Beaty), and her 27-year-old son Christopher Branch. 22-year-old Christopher Bates and 24-year-old Brianna Rimpson were also charged.
From April 2020-December 2021, Roshell Beaty and the group submitted falsified and fraudulent claims and certifications for pandemic unemployment insurance benefits in their own names, as well as in the names of third parties. Some of the names used were from victims of identity theft. The group submitted at least 98 false and fraudulent unemployment insurance claims and related certifications in multiple states, using the names of at least 61 different people.
As a result of their crime, Michigan, Indiana, California, Illinois, and Arizona paid more than $764,000 in pandemic unemployment insurance benefits.
Roshell Beaty and Christopher Branch have been charged with various counts of aggravated identity theft, for using the means of identification of other people without lawful authority, in connection with the unemployment insurance wire fraud conspiracy. Roshell Beaty,…
