ABINGDON, Va. – A pair of Virginia residents pled guilty recently to filing false claims for pandemic unemployment benefits for pandemic unemployment benefits authorized by the CARES Act. The CARES Act is a federal law, enacted in March of 2020, that was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Martha Sue Buffy Davis, 50, of Glade Spring, Va., and Robert Walter Neely, 47, both pled guilty to one count of conspiring to defraud the United States and commit an offense against the United States by filing fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment benefits as authorized by federal law. Both defendants are scheduled for sentencing on December 18, 2026.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice