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Maurice Mills, 30, of Union Township must serve just about all of the sentence because there's no parole in the federal court system.
Mills submitted bogus applications for the benefits, funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, "using the names of other individuals," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Mills took a deal from the government rather than face trial, pleading guilty to wire fraud last September during a video conference with a federal judge in Newark.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti sentenced Mills to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $486,760 in restitution during a videoconferenced sentencing in Newark.
Still awaiting sentencing was Latoyia McCollum, of Hillside, who admitted destroying evidence for Mills.
Detectives armed with a search warrant said they found McCollum in the kitchen of an undisclosed location "placing what appeared to be a credit/debit card into the shredder."
SEE: Union County Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam
Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General in Manhattan, as well as Newark-based special agents of the FBI, postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and special agents of the U.S. Secret Service for the investigation leading to the plea and sentence, secured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of his Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
He also thanked the New York State Department of Labor, Office of Special Investigations for its assistance in the investigation.
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