ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A 28-year-old Fredericksburg, Virginia, man pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to obtain pandemic unemployment benefits, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
According to court documents, from around May 2020 through about January 2022, Eric Wilhoit, II, conspired with his siblings, Odyssey Wilhoit, 23, and Jeremiah Wilhoit, 26, and cousin, Dejhaun Wilhoit, 26, to obtain pandemic unemployment benefits. The family members were also indicted for their roles.
In court, Eric admitted that he applied for pandemic unemployment benefits in his name and in the names of others, many who were identity theft victims. He also said that he falsely represented, among other things, the applicants’ work history and that they lost their employment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eric admitted to instructing his coconspirators on how to make claims and used VPNs and false email addresses in an attempt to hide the fraud. Court documents also state that he recruited other people to use their physical addresses to receive the prepaid debit cards that contained the unemployment benefits. The money was used to make large cash withdrawals and to buy luxury goods including a diamond ring. The loss is stated to be somewhere between $550,000 and $3,500,0000.
When law enforcement attempted to arrest Eric, he led them on a high-speed chase, resulting in him crashing his car with his minor age children in the backseat.
In addition to the family members being attached to the scheme, the indictment states that Odyssey conspired with 23-year-old Jaleai Morrison, of Temple, Georgia, in a separate mail theft and bank fraud scheme. Morrison pleaded guilty on Nov. 7 for involvement in the scheme.
Morrison is accused of stealing checks from a U.S. postal collection box and providing them or the personal information to Odyssey. The information was then used to make counterfeit checks, which Odyssey would deposit into bank accounts, according to court documents. After the partnership ended, Odyssey allegedly continued her bank fraud scheme through at least July 2022.
Eric faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Morrison faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. If convicted, Odyssey, Jeremiah, and Dejhaun face a mandatory minimum of two years and a maximum penalty of 30 years, according to DOJ.
