Podcaster Jailed for $3.8M Unemployment Fraud

0:00It's April 28th. Entertainment and celebrity news today starts now, AI powered in Spotlight Ready. I'm Cory with the story. An Atlanta podcaster named Jonathan Dupeton just got slapped with seven years in federal prison for a huge identity theft scheme. He hosts the Rich and Unemployed podcast and pleaded guilty back on January 13th to conspiracy charges involving male and wire fraud, plus aggravated identity theft. During the pandemic, from July 2020 to early 2021, Dupeton targeted California's unemployment insurance program. He stole hundreds of identities, filed fake claims using a BPN to hide his Georgia location, then had debit cards shipped to him for ATM withdrawals, mostly around Atlanta. Prosecutors highlighted how this hurt folks already struggling with job losses, calling it a direct hit on taxpayer aid meant for real workers. The U.S. attorney stressed that exporting these programs during tough times leads to serious consequences like the sentence.

1:03All told, the scam pulled in $3.8 million with Dupeton withdrawing about $2 million. He'll follow his prison time with three years of supervised release and has to pay back restitution. This case shows fraudsters can't keep dodging the law, even if they're finishing up old sentences like his prior one for food assistance scams while running this operation.