AG Shapiro Arrests Caregiver For Stealing Intellectually Disabled Clients’ Personal Information To Get Nearly $90K in Unemployment Benefits

The defendant used fraudulent and stolen information to access the pandemic unemployment benefit program

HARRISBURG – Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced today, in conjunction with the 47th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, that the Attorney General has brought charges against Nelson Fornah for fraudulently stealing personal identification information from several intellectually disabled people in his care to apply for and receive nearly $ 90,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) funding.

“As a caregiver, this defendant was responsible for assisting adult people with disabilities to build trust and communicate with others. Instead, he used his trust to take advantage of his victims and steal their personal information for his own benefit, ”said Attorney General Shapiro. “We work non-stop to track down people who are undermining the public by breaking the law and committing fraud.”

The grand jury found that Fornah, 35, a caregiver from Darby, Pennsylvania, used the stolen and false information from seven disabled customers in his care in Delaware and Montgomery to raise a total of $ 89,418.82 to PUA Claiming and receiving benefits and thereby stealing thousands of dollars in funds intended to serve the people of the Commonwealth who are really in need.

As of July 2020, Fornah was using its customers’ personal data to fraudulently receive PUA funds. Although he created fake email addresses for the victims of his scheme, the phone numbers in each application were his own. When he received the loaded US bank cards, the accounts were quickly depleted with multiple ATM withdrawals and purchases at various locations in Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

In December 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (PA L&I) requested an additional verification of the PUA accounts opened by Fornah. The grand jury learned that applicants are often asked to verify their identities through ID.me, a third-party provider used by the state to fight fraud. The ID.me program allows users to provide credentials during video calls where applicants speak directly to the provider.

The grand jury observed recorded ID.me sessions with people who had fallen victim to Fornah. The video calls revealed that while only the victim was on screen, it was evident that someone outside of the camera was speaking for the people and showing the required identification information on camera. The grand jury also noted that the victims appeared incoherent and unaware of their surroundings and, in some cases, saddened and confused about what was going on.

In addition to filing fraudulent PUA claims with stolen information, Fornah also fraudulently applied for PUA benefits using his own information, despite the records confirming that he was fully employed before and during the pandemic. Following this rejection by PA L&I, he lied about his employment status to apply for the PA standard benefits and received more than $ 14,000 as a result. Fornah also attempted to use his clients’ stolen personal identification information to apply for unemployment benefits from New Jersey State.

The Attorney General’s office investigated this case with the assistance of the US Department of Labor Inspector General, the US Post Office of the Inspector General, and the US Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.

On the recommendation of the 47th Nationwide Investigative Grand Jury, the accused of identity theft, handling proceeds from illegal activities, illegal use of a computer, criminal use of a communication facility, fraud with access devices, manipulation of public records, theft through deception , criminal attempt to commit theft by deception. The case is being followed up by Assistant Attorney General Megan Madaffari. All allegations discussed are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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