The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York announced today that Jodi Drygula, 52, of Amsterdam, New York, and Anthony Camou, 45, of Las Vegas, Nevada, have been indicted on charges of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
The charges stem from an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits in the names of other individuals.
According to the indictment, from July 2020 through September 2021, Drygula and Camou conspired to defraud the New York State Department of Labor by filing false unemployment insurance claims using the identities of three individuals.
The fraudulent activity resulted in the pair receiving over $250,000 in unemployment benefits during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both defendants have been released on bail with conditions following their initial court appearances.
Drygula appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel in Albany on August 27, 2024, while Camou appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Albregts in the District of Nevada on September 13, 2024.