A former member of the New England Patriots pleaded guilty to identity theft and COVID-19 unemployment fraud. | stock photo
A former member of the New England Patriots pleaded guilty to identity theft and COVID-19 unemployment fraud. | stock photo
Last week, Kenbrell Thompkins, 33, pleaded guilty in Miami federal court to COVID-19 relief fraud and ID theft, for which he faces up to 12 years in prison, according to reporting by Cincinnati.com.
Thompkins was a former NFL wide receiver and is a native of the South Florida region. He had formerly played for New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and New York Jets.
“Hate to see Kenbrell Thompkins go down this road. Now facing potentially serious jail time,” Ben Volin, senior National Football League writer at the Boston Globe, tweeted.
Kenbrell Thompkins
| Wikimedia Commons
A federal indictment was presented against Thompkins in April, which accused him of stealing identities in order to obtain COVID 19-related unemployment benefits.
The crimes he is accused of occurred in California, according to Cincinnati.com
According to a plea agreement, Thompkins used the stolen identities of numerous Florida residents to obtain fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits from the state of California. Prosecutors said that California distributed these unemployment benefit funds as debit cards, which were mailed to addresses associated with Thompkins in Miami and nearby Aventura, Florida.
Thompkins began his NFL career with the New England Patriots in 2013 as an undrafted free agent from the University of Cincinnati. He played for the UC Bearcats in 2011 and 2012.
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