北卡罗来纳州男子Irvin Vilneus盗用逾150人身份骗280万美元失业金 在罗得岛州判5年监禁
美国司法部罗得岛区联邦检察官办公室10月28日宣布，住北卡罗来纳州 Barbeque、原住佛罗里达州 North Lauderdale 的 Irvin Vilneus（34岁）已在罗得岛州联邦法院被判处5年联邦监禁。Vilneus 盗用逾150人的个人信息申领疫情失业金，约8个月内盗取约280万美元，法院另判其赔偿2,812,716美元。
据检察官办公室说明，联邦法官 Melissa R. DuBose 于10月27日作出判决：5年监禁，其后3年监管释放；赔偿2,812,716美元；没收从其住处查扣的资产，包括45,899美元现金与珠宝，并判处同额2,812,716美元的没收金钱判决。Vilneus 已于2026年1月20日就多项联邦罪名认罪，包括3项电汇欺诈与3项加重身份盗窃。
据法庭文件，Vilneus 以逾150人的被盗个人信息，在包括罗得岛州在内的多个州，申领依《CARES法案》与《家庭第一冠状病毒应对法案》（FFCRA）在疫情期间扩大的失业保险金，并把款项导入其以他人身份开设的银行账户，约8个月内盗取约280万美元政府福利。
第一助理联邦检察官 Charles C. Calenda 表示，这项判决反映了该诈骗的严重性：被盗身份骗走的联邦福利，本是为疫情中挣扎的罗得岛州居民准备的；《CARES法案》意在为危机中的人们提供生命线，不是让罪犯中饱私囊的机会。联邦调查局（FBI）波士顿分部特别探员主管 Ted E. Docks 表示，Vilneus 把疫情当成自己的提款机，用数百名不知情消费者的身份盗走数百万美元，判决保证他有足够时间在狱中反省后果。
本案由助理联邦检察官 Denise M. Barton、特别助理联邦检察官 John M. Moreira 与助理联邦检察官 Stacey A. Erickson 承办；调查方包括联邦检察官办公室、罗得岛州总检察长办公室、FBI、劳工部监察长办公室、罗得岛州警察局与国税局刑事调查局，美国邮政检查局、特勤局与社会安全局监察长办公室提供大力协助。
North Carolina Man Irvin Vilneus Sentenced to Five Years in Rhode Island: He Used Over 150 Stolen Identities to Steal $2.8 Million in Unemployment Benefits
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island announced on October 28 that Irvin Vilneus, 34, of Barbeque, North Carolina, formerly of North Lauderdale, Florida, has been sentenced in federal court in Rhode Island to five years in federal prison. Vilneus used the stolen personal information of more than 150 people to obtain pandemic unemployment benefits, stealing approximately $2.8 million over about eight months; the court also ordered him to pay $2,812,716 in restitution.
U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose imposed the sentence on October 27: five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, restitution of $2,812,716, forfeiture of assets seized from his residence — including $45,899 in cash and jewelry — and a forfeiture money judgment of $2,812,716. Vilneus had pleaded guilty on January 20, 2026, to multiple federal offenses, including three counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, Vilneus used the stolen personal identifying information of over 150 people to file for unemployment insurance benefits made available during the COVID-19 pandemic under the CARES Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) in multiple states, including Rhode Island, directing the benefits into bank accounts he had fraudulently opened in other people's names. Over approximately eight months, he stole about $2.8 million in government benefits.
First Assistant United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda said the sentence reflects the seriousness of a fraud scheme that used stolen identities to take federal benefits intended to help Rhode Islanders struggling during the pandemic, adding that the CARES Act was designed as a lifeline for people in crisis, not an opportunity for criminals to enrich themselves. Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Boston Division, said Vilneus treated the pandemic as his own personal cash cow and stole millions from relief programs meant to keep struggling Rhode Island businesses and workers afloat.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise M. Barton and Stacey A. Erickson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Moreira. It was investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Rhode Island Attorney General's office, the FBI, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Rhode Island State Police and IRS Criminal Investigation, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：位于 Providence 的联邦大楼与美国法院（罗得岛区联邦地区法院所在地），本案在此判刑。照片：美国总务署（GSA），公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Providence, seat of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, where Vilneus was sentenced. Photo: U.S. General Services Administration, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
