Novi Man Filed Unemployment Claims Using Prison Inmate IDs: Feds

DETROIT — Federal authorities said a Novi man defrauded the state of Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency by filing unemployment claims using the identities of state and federal prison inmates.

Terrell Dwayne Mason, 39, is charged with aggravated identity theft, mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering acting United States Attorney Saima Mohsin said.

An investigation has revealed that Mason filed more than 40 fraudulent claims, officials said.

According to federal authorities, Mason used his relationship with an Unemployment Insurance employee to process the claims through the state’s UI system. The complaint alleges that the claims resulted in payments of more than $300,000 and would have paid over $800,000 if not detected by law enforcement.

Mason, who authorities said is on supervised release after serving a prison sentence for a prior federal conviction for conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, was tracked and arrested by the United States Marshals Service in Oklahoma on a warrant for allegations he violated the terms of his release.