North Carolina Man Irvin Vilneus Sentenced to Five Years in Rhode Island: He Used Over 150 Stolen Identities to Steal $2.8 Million in Unemployment Benefits
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island announced on October 28 that Irvin Vilneus, 34, of Barbeque, North Carolina, formerly of North Lauderdale, Florida, has been sentenced in federal court in Rhode Island to five years in federal prison. Vilneus used the stolen personal information of more than 150 people to obtain pandemic unemployment benefits, stealing approximately $2.8 million over about eight months; the court also ordered him to pay $2,812,716 in restitution.
U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose imposed the sentence on October 27: five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, restitution of $2,812,716, forfeiture of assets seized from his residence — including $45,899 in cash and jewelry — and a forfeiture money judgment of $2,812,716. Vilneus had pleaded guilty on January 20, 2026, to multiple federal offenses, including three counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, Vilneus used the stolen personal identifying information of over 150 people to file for unemployment insurance benefits made available during the COVID-19 pandemic under the CARES Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) in multiple states, including Rhode Island, directing the benefits into bank accounts he had fraudulently opened in other people's names. Over approximately eight months, he stole about $2.8 million in government benefits.
First Assistant United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda said the sentence reflects the seriousness of a fraud scheme that used stolen identities to take federal benefits intended to help Rhode Islanders struggling during the pandemic, adding that the CARES Act was designed as a lifeline for people in crisis, not an opportunity for criminals to enrich themselves. Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Boston Division, said Vilneus treated the pandemic as his own personal cash cow and stole millions from relief programs meant to keep struggling Rhode Island businesses and workers afloat.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise M. Barton and Stacey A. Erickson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Moreira. It was investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Rhode Island Attorney General's office, the FBI, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Rhode Island State Police and IRS Criminal Investigation, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Providence 的联邦大楼与美国法院（罗得岛区联邦地区法院所在地），本案在此判刑。照片：美国总务署（GSA），公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Providence, seat of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, where Vilneus was sentenced. Photo: U.S. General Services Administration, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
