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3 Georgia residents sentenced for $30M COVID-19 unemployment fraud scheme

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  May 23, 2025 12:04pm EDT
Georgia
FOX 5 Atlanta

The Brief

    • Three Georgia residents were sentenced for their roles in a $30 million COVID-19 unemployment fraud scheme that exploited stolen identities and fake employer accounts.
    • Macovian Doston received 15 years in prison, Shatara Hubbard was sentenced to 6 years, and Torella Wynn received a 1-year sentence, with restitution amounts to be determined.
    • The case, part of the DOJ’s COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, involved over 5,000 fraudulent claims and was investigated by multiple federal agencies.

ATLANTA - Three Georgia residents have been sentenced for their roles in a sweeping scheme that defrauded the Georgia Department of Labor out of at least $30 million in unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What we know:

Macovian Doston, 31, of Vienna, received a 15-year prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release. Shatara Hubbard, 36, of Warner Robins, was sentenced to six years, while Torella Wynn, 33, of Cordele, was sentenced to one year in prison. Each defendant was also ordered to pay restitution, with the final amounts to be determined.

What they're saying:

According to prosecutors, between March 2020 and November 2022, the group filed over 5,000 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims by creating fake employers and using stolen personal information to pose as employees. The scheme exploited identities obtained through illicit purchases and data leaks, including information stolen from a hospital database via a paid insider.

The stolen benefits were distributed through prepaid debit cards mailed to various addresses. Evidence presented in court revealed that Doston and his co-conspirators coordinated efforts to file claims for non-existent workers, using a network of identities from unsuspecting victims.

The investigation involved multiple federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and Homeland Security Investigations. The case is part of the broader effort by the Department of Justice’s COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, created in 2021 to identify and prosecute pandemic-related fraud.

Four additional defendants were previously sentenced in connection with the case, receiving prison terms ranging from 18 months to 12 years. Officials say the prosecution reflects an ongoing commitment to protecting the integrity of federal relief programs and holding fraudsters accountable.

The Source

  • Information for the above story was provided by the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud. 

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