Former USC soccer participant Abdul-Malik McClain has agreed to a plea discount for his function in allegedly orchestrating a scheme from July 2020 to September 2020 that sought to assert greater than $1 million in fraudulent COVID-related unemployment advantages from California’s Employment Growth Division.
McClain, in accordance with a duplicate of the plea settlement obtained by The Instances, will plead responsible to at least one rely of felony mail fraud.
McClain, who performed at USC from 2018-2020, was arrested in December 2021 and charged with 10 counts of mail fraud and two counts of id theft for allegedly submitting fraudulent claims on behalf of USC soccer gamers below the Pandemic Unemployment Help program, which was established in the course of the pandemic to supply support to those that didn’t qualify for traditional unemployment advantages.
On the time, McClain pleaded not responsible and was launched on $20,000 bond. However a month earlier than his trial, McClain agreed to a plea discount, with a listening to set for June 17. As a part of his plea, McClain should pay restitution and will face important jail time. The utmost statutory sentence for felony mail fraud is 20 years, however federal sentencing tips counsel between 70 and 87 months in jail.
The unique indictment cited 36 fraudulent claims for PUA advantages which McClain filed or assisted in submitting that had been made within the names of teammates, pals and others whose identities had been stolen as a part of the scheme. As a part of his plea settlement, McClain admitted to his function as “a pacesetter or organizer” of the scheme, which used claimants’ names and Social Safety numbers to knowingly file PUA claims that contained false employment info, all with the intent of fraudulently acquiring debit playing cards from Financial institution of America.
A few of these debit playing cards had been despatched to addresses the place McClain had direct entry. In different instances, McClain acquired direct fee from those that acquired the debit card from EDD.
McClain and his co-schemers, none of whom had been recognized within the authentic indictment or plea settlement, sought $1,056,092 in advantages from EDD as a part of the scheme, however finally acquired about $283,063.
McClain left USC in November 2020 after his brother, Munir, was suspended indefinitely from USC’s soccer crew in September 2020 amid complaints that USC soccer gamers had been being approached with a plan to use for EDD advantages. Abdul-Malik McClain was by no means suspended.
Each Munir and Abdul-Malik McClain confirmed to The Instances in October 2020 that they acquired advantages from the PUA program. That fall, a number of USC soccer gamers had been approached at their campus residences concerning the scheme. Some got subpoenas to look in entrance of a grand jury.
On the time, over a number of interviews with The Instances, the McClain household remained resolute that neither of the brothers had achieved something improper.
