Stoneham Duo Claimed $400K+ In Unemployment Scheme: DOJ

STONEHAM, MA — Two Stoneham residents are accused of fraudulently claiming more than $400,000 in unemployment benefits throughout the pandemic.

Daniel Maleus, 33, and Lilly Nguyen, 24, were arrested Friday on several fraud charges. Federal prosecutors said the two conspired to file fraudulent unemployment claims between April 2020 and March 2021 by using other people's personal information.

Nguyen is also accused of lying to a federal agent about the deposits in her bank accounts.

The fraudulent claims are alleged to have been made from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which provides benefits for people not typically eligible for traditional unemployment benefits, such as the self-employed and gig workers.

Maleus and Nguyen are charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Nguyen is also charged with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and lying to a federal agent.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Stoneham Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.