OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERALPress Releases
No Amount Too Small, No Fraud Too Large—And Counting: DOL OIG Exposes Widespread UI Fraud Funding Luxury Vacations and Murder-for-Hire Schemes—Fraudsters Sentenced to Life
June 25, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (OIG), remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting the integrity of federal programs and ensuring American taxpayer dollars are safeguarded from those who seek to exploit them. Under the leadership of Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito, the OIG has adopted a rigorous, zero-tolerance approach to fraud—one that holds bad actors fully accountable regardless of the scope or complexity of their schemes. Working in close coordination with President Trump and Vice President Vance’s White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, as well as federal and local law enforcement partners, the OIG is committed to defending the workers these programs were designed to serve. While significant progress has been made in pursuing justice on behalf of the American people, the OIG recognizes that its work is far from over—and will continue to pursue every lead, every case, and every fraudster with the full force of the law.
PHILADELPHIA, PA. — A Pennsylvania man, Justin Heimbach, was sentenced to 76 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $598,257 in restitution for schemes to defraud the federal government and multiple local car dealerships. Heimbach, who operated a construction company, engaged in a scheme that caused fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance applications to be filed in the names of individuals allegedly no longer employed by his company. In addition, Heimbach defrauded multiple car dealerships by purchasing vehicles in the names of other construction companies registered to or associated with him and writing checks for those vehicles on bank accounts that had an insufficient balance to cover the transaction. “No one gets a free pass to steal from programs designed to help hardworking Americans. In partnership with Vice President Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, my office will continue to crush every scheme that exploits the American taxpayer. Fraud has consequences—and we’re delivering handcuffs,” said Inspector General D’Esposito.
MILWAUKEE, WI. — Two Wisconsin men, Ronnell Bowman and Lawrence Turner, were sentenced to life in federal prison for conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, plus ten years of consecutive imprisonment for using a firearm during a violent crime. In addition, both men received fraud-related prison sentences, which will run concurrently with their life sentences. Bowman and Turner, members of the Wild 100s street gang, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud for submitting numerous fraudulent COVID-19 unemployment insurance claims involving multiple states. Bowman was responsible for the theft of approximately $863,844 in benefits, and Turner approximately $203,148.83. In total, Bowman, Turner, and twenty-eight other co-conspirators wrongfully obtained over $10 million in federal unemployment benefits and used the proceeds to purchase firearms, controlled substances, jewelry, and vacations, and to solicit murder for hire. “The sentencing of Ronnell Bowman delivers a strong message: we will not tolerate those who exploit programs intended to support unemployed American workers. My office is committed to ensuring fraudsters who prey on hardworking Americans face the full force of justice. I commend the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their relentless dedication throughout this investigation,” Inspector General D’Esposito added.
SACRAMENTO, CA. — A California man, Roosevelt Gulley, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison and ordered to pay $575,425 in restitution for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft tied to a COVID-19 unemployment insurance scheme. Between July and September 2020, Gulley used the personally identifiable information of others to electronically submit fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits to the California Employment Development Department. Over the course of his scheme, Gulley attempted to obtain more than $1.5 million and received more than $500,000 in fraudulent benefits. “While American workers were facing unemployment lines and an uncertain future during the COVID-19 crisis, Roosevelt Gulley was picking their pockets and gaming the system. This sentence is justice for every victim whose identity he stole and every hard-earned dollar he ripped off. We will not stop until every pandemic fraudster is held accountable,” said Inspector General D’Esposito.
For additional information on DOL OIG, please visit oig.dol.gov. If you suspect wrongdoing involving DOL programs or operations, contact the DOL-OIG Hotline at (800) 347-3756 or oig.dol.gov/hotlinecontact.htm.
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