GARLAND, Texas — A Garland man was sentenced Monday to prison for his role in an unemployment insurance fraud that netted him over $2 million, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Thursday.
Frank Sherman, 60, was indicted in November 2022 for the insurance fraud scheme and he pleaded guilty in October 2023 to theft of government funds. Sherman was sentenced to two years in prison Monday and will be liable for nearly $2.3 million in restitution.
According to plea papers, Sherman admitted from July 2020 through September 2021 he helped unknown coconspirators he met on social media pass and obtain unemployment funds for people in Canada.
The DOJ said in a release that Sherman admitted to shipping preloaded debit cards issued by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training, & Rehabilitation from his home in Garland to unknown individuals in Canada. Over 14 months, the DOJ said Sherman received at least 200 Nevada unemployment insurance debit cards. He loaded the cards with more than $2 million using unemployment insurance funds, according to a release from the DOJ.
Sherman shipped most of the cards to Canada but kept a debit card and used it for himself on at least one occasion, according to officials.
The 60-year-old also admitted to purloining $3,000 in unemployment funds from the California Employment Development Department, despite never working in the state.
