Residents Shawn Carter, 38, of Woodhaven, and Danielle Thomas, 36, face federal charges for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The charges stem from 409 allegedly fraudulent unemployment insurance claims over 32 states. Between March 2020 and March 2022, the scheme pulled in roughly $4,117,788 in benefits, according to a criminal complaint filed Aug. 1, 2026.
The pair exploited pandemic-era unemployment benefits that expanded during the crisis. The program ran from March 2020 through Sept. 4, 2021. Each claim generated Bank of America debit cards, which were mailed to Michigan addresses. Carter and Thomas then withdrew cash at ATMs in metro Detroit.
Carter and Thomas filed claims using their own Social Security numbers and numbers belonging to other people. Authorities identified at least 68 suspected fraudulent claims tied to Carter. Thomas had at least 51 claims linked to her…