Three women from Michigan have been accused of orchestrating a 19-month fraud scheme during the pandemic that allegedly siphoned off more than $450,000.
Federal prosecutors have charged the trio in connection with a conspiracy that investigators say funneled over $450,000 in suspected fraudulent pandemic benefits from Michigan’s unemployment system.
According to a federal complaint and arrest warrant unsealed on April 22, 2026, investigators said the case began with an online “digital footprint” — an internet address connected to a home in Eastpointe.
In a criminal complaint filed April 17, a Special Agent with the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General stated that Lela Lewis, Letora Liggins, and Mesa Allen participated in a scheme that “resulted in the outlay of over $450,000” in suspected fraudulent benefits between March 2020 and approximately October 2021.
Investigators said some claims were submitted using an internet address registered to Liggins at her Eastpointe residence, while other activity was traced to an address associated with Lewis.
Court records show investigators examined financial documents, employment histories, vehicle registration data, and property records, along with unemployment claim information, surveillance footage, and details from other agencies, including the FBI and Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency fraud unit.
The money trail
Commonly known as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Michigan issued payments to claimants during the COVID-19 pandemic through Bank of America debit cards and electronic funds transfers. Federal officials said those transfers moved through Bank of America data centers in Virginia and Colorado, classifying them as “interstate wire communications.”
Michigan’s unemployment system, known as MiDAS, recorded access details such as dates, times, and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Investigators said they later used this data to piece together what they described as a “coordinated operation.”
“Each time a claim is accessed in MiDAS, it creates a digital footprint of sorts,” federal officials said.
For instance, the complaint states that a $32,000 claim filed in May 2020 was linked to Liggins and her Eastpointe address. Another claim submitted in May 2020 from the same IP address paid out more than $33,000 between June 2020 and August 2021, according to court records.
In both instances, investigators said Bank of America ATM surveillance footage showed Liggins withdrawing cash from ATMs in St. Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe Woods, and Eastpointe.
The agent noted that a phone number connected to that IP address “was associated with a UI claim in the name of Lewis.” Federal investigators said Lewis also listed a Clinton Township address on her unemployment claim and driver’s license, and identified Lewis as Allen’s sister.
Investigators said that claim paid out more than $17,000 between June and November 2020, while another claim distributed over $20,000 from June 2020 to March 2021.
According to federal officials, Bank of America surveillance footage also captured Allen withdrawing cash linked to the fraudulent claims. Investigators compared the footage to her driver’s license photo and identified her by a distinctive “Ariel” tattoo on her upper right arm.
What the women told investigators
During an April 25, 2025 interview, Liggins identified herself in ATM footage linked to withdrawals from accounts tied to fraudulent claims, confirmed she knew Lewis, and then stopped speaking, federal officials said.
According to investigators, Lewis acknowledged that Allen is her sister, confirmed she lived at the St. Clair Shores address for several years, and said Liggins was “a friend.” However, Lewis denied submitting any claims other than one in her own name.
Allen denied filing fraudulent claims but admitted she appeared in the ATM footage. She told investigators that someone else provided her with debit cards and asked her to withdraw cash, and she kept a small portion.
“Allen kept approximately $20-$30 from the cash she withdrew,” federal officials said.
Authorities charged Lewis, Liggins, and Allen with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. A preliminary hearing is set for May 13, 2026, in Detroit.
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