Feds: Saratoga Springs man used fake Social Security number, illegally received unemployment, COVID benefits | The Daily Gazette
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ALBANY – A Saratoga Springs man used a fake social security number to illegally receive unemployment benefits, including COVID relief funds, U.S. Attorneys officials said Monday.
Markhwan Berning, 36, was arraigned Friday on a federal indictment charging him with false representation of a social security number.
He is accused of obtaining unemployment insurance benefits from May to July using a fake social security number as his own, prosecutors said.
A release did not indicate how much Berning is accused of taking using the fake social security number, but indicated the benefits taken include benefits from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act signed in March. The act included $600 weekly benefits for those eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits.