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Errol Murray, age 21, of Yonkers; Taliek Lanier, age 22, of Albany; and Thomas Brace, age 61, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, formerly of Albany, were all arrested on federal charges of mail and wire fraud, plus identity theft.
Federal prosecutors said the trio conspired with a 36-year-old Albany woman, Jamie Johnson, and provided her with the personal identifying information of other people.
Jonson pleaded guilty in February 2022 of then using that information to file false unemployment insurance applications online with the New York State Department of Labor.
Altogether, prosecutors said the scheme netted the group $701, 441.
A portion of the benefits were funded by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Murray was arraigned Wednesday, Aug. 31, in federal court in Albany and later released while he awaits trial. Brace was arraigned the following day.
Lanier was also released with conditions and is scheduled to be arraigned in Albany on Wednesday, Sept. 7.
If convicted on all charges, they could face up to 22 years in federal prison and fines up to $250,000.
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