A Louisiana resident has admitted to participating in a scheme to obtain unemployment insurance benefits related to the COVID-19 pandemic while he was incarcerated. Travis Thorn, 45, from Monroe, Louisiana, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Court documents show that Thorn worked with another individual to submit fraudulent applications for unemployment benefits through the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. At the time, Thorn was an inmate at the Mississippi Department of Corrections and therefore not eligible for such benefits. Some of the funds received were deposited into his commissary account.
The unemployment insurance program involved was supported by federal funds under the CARES Act, which expanded states’ capacity to provide financial relief during the pandemic.
Thorn was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 19, 2025. He is scheduled for sentencing on July 17, 2026. The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
United States Attorney Baxter Kruger announced the plea along with Mississippi State Auditor Shad White and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), Southeast Region.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor OIG and the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting.
“This case is being prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force (NUIFTF). In response to the unprecedented scope of Unemployment Insurance (UI) fraud, the Department of Justice established the NUIFTF,” according to officials involved in announcing charges against Thorn. “The NUIFTF is a prosecutor-led multi-agency task force with representatives from FBI, DOL-OIG, IRS-CI, HSI, DHS-OIG, USPIS, USSS, SSA-OIG, FDIC-OIG, and other agencies.”
Officials noted that members are working with state workforce agencies and law enforcement partners nationwide to address UI fraud and advised consumers to remain vigilant about these threats.
The CARES Act was enacted on March 29, 2020 as emergency legislation aimed at providing financial assistance during economic hardship caused by COVID-19.
Anyone who has information regarding attempted COVID-19-related fraud can report it via phone or online using resources provided by the Department of Justice: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
