Ex-USC football player from OC accused of COVID-19 unemployment benefits scheme

A erstwhile USC shot subordinate from Orange County was arrested Monday, Dec. 20, aft being accused of moving a strategy successful which helium and different shot players filed for hundreds of thousands of dollars successful COVID-19-related unemployment benefits.

Abdul-Malik McClain, 22, who present attends Jackson State successful Jackson, Mississippi, pleaded not blameworthy successful U.S. District Court successful Los Angeles to 10 counts of message fraud and 2 counts of aggravated individuality theft. He was released aft posting $20,000 bond. He is owed backmost successful tribunal connected Feb. 15.

“We mean to vigorously support Mr. McClain,” his attorney, Alex Kessel, said successful a telephone interrogation Monday afternoon.

No different arrests were announced Monday. Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice, said the probe is continuing.

It wasn’t instantly revealed by authorities however galore different players were believed to beryllium progressive successful the scheme.

McClain, a linebacker, was Trinity League antiaircraft subordinate of the twelvemonth successful 2017 portion playing for Saint Junipero Serra Catholic School successful Rancho Santa Margarita.

A national expansive assemblage indicted McClain connected Dec. 16. At slightest 3 twelve fraudulent applications seeking much than $900,000 were filed by McClain oregon his associates, a DOJ quality merchandise said. About $227,000 was paid out.

McClain was surviving successful Los Angeles portion the crimes were being committed during the summertime of 2020, the merchandise said. McClain announced successful November 2020 that helium was transferring to Jackson State.

“While a subordinate of his university’s shot team, McClain organized and assisted a radical of different shot players successful filing fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits, including nether the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) programme established by Congress successful effect to the pandemic’s economical fallout,” the indictment says. “The indictment … contained mendacious accusation astir the shot players’ expected anterior employment, pandemic-related occupation loss, and job-seeking efforts successful California.”

Bank of America mailed debit cards loaded with hundreds oregon thousands of dollars successful unemployment benefits to the shot players, who utilized the cards to retreat currency from ATMs, the indictment says.

“In immoderate cases, McClain sought and obtained a chopped for helping others,” the indictment says.

McClain and others filed applications successful their ain names, the names of friends and the names of individuality theft victims, the indictment says.

The indictment identified the assemblage whose players supposedly were progressive lone arsenic “University 1.”

A USC spokeswoman did not reply questions astir whether immoderate existent players were nether probe and whether their lasting with the squad oregon assemblage has been affected.

“When the assemblage learned of this substance successful September 2020, we notified instrumentality enforcement and person been afloat cooperating with authorities. We are incapable to supply further accusation due to the fact that this is simply a pending transgression matter,” USC spokeswoman Laura Bartlett said successful a written statement.