TRENTON, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Edgefield County woman is heading to federal prison after prosecutors say she filed fraudulent unemployment claims across nearly 20 states during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ricki Johnson, 42, of Trenton, S.C., was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to mail fraud, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Margaret E. “Meg” Heap said.
U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also ordered Johnson to pay restitution and criminal forfeiture of $104,632 and to serve three years of supervised release following her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
How the scheme worked
Over a two-year period, Johnson electronically submitted false unemployment insurance benefit applications to approximately 18 states, according to court documents and testimony…