A California man was to be arraigned Friday for using ''thousands'' of stolen identities to fraudulently obtain expanded COVID-19 unemployment benefits, some of which he used to buy a luxury Maserati sport utility vehicle.
Robert Sloan Mateer, 30, of Pasadena, was arrested Oct. 1 following a traffic stop, during which police found $197,711 in cash in his Maserati, more than 85 grams of methamphetamine, and a loaded firearm with no serial number, federal prosecutors said in a release.
The release did not specify how much in unemployment benefits Mateer had obtained by using fraudulent identifies but said he has 17 benefit cards plus other debit cards in his possession when he was arrested.
''Evidence gathered during the investigation determined that at least 14 of the 17 debit cards were loaded with at least $133,000 in unemployment insurance benefits, later determined to have been issued under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress in March, and had been issued in the names of third-parties, including identity theft victims,'' the release said.
Besides fraud, Mateer was indicted on Nov. 17 for aggravated identity theft, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of ammunition.
If convicted of all charges, Mateer faces a mandatory minimum of 17 years in prison and a maximum of life.
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