Three Northeast Side residents are facing charges in federal court in Columbus for allegedly filing fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment assistance.
The superseding indictment unsealed Friday morning is among the first direct charges made public in Ohio against individuals accused in what has become rampant pandemic-related unemployment fraud.
Ricco Maye, 38, Nicole Groves, 31, and Airrika Anthony, 32, are named in the 10-count indictment that includes a variety of drug trafficking counts along with the unemployment scheme.
Maye, who has a lengthy local criminal record, was initially indicted in November on drug-related charges and has been in federal custody for several months. The superseding indictment widened the case to include four other defendants, who investigators say participated in the illegal drug trafficking and unemployment fraud.