ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A former couple is facing federal charges for allegedly conspiring to fraudulently obtain pandemic-related unemployment benefits, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.
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Between May 2020 and October 2021, Josette Martin, 35, and Tommy Apodaca, 42, fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits funded through federal COVID-19 relief programs by using the personal information of real and fictitious individuals to submit fraudulent unemployment claims, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico claimed.
According to the feds, Martin and Apodaca used the personal information of others to create fake identification documents—including fake drivers’ licenses, fake tax forms, and fake Social Security cards. The two also allegedly opened bank accounts and obtained debit cards loaded with unemployment funds in order to spend the fraudulently obtained benefits.
Martin and Apodaca are charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Apodaca will remain in custody pending trial. He was already in federal custody at the time of the indictment. In April 2026, a federal grand jury separately charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm…