(Sioux City)– A Le Mars man pled guilty today (Friday) in federal court to theft of government funds in connection with a COVID-19 unemployment scheme.
As part of a plea deal, 54-year-old Dennis Chinn admitted to falsely reporting his income, stating it was $150 per week so he could get an additional $600 weekly payment, and fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits related to COVID-19 relief funds to which he wasn’t entitled. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Chinn obtained over $13,000 in unemployment funds through the COVID-19 pandemic CARES Act.
Chinn remains free on bond pending sentencing, a date for which hasn’t been set yet. He faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
