Unscrupulous Employee Sentenced for Identity Theft and Fraud in COVID-19 PUA Scandal

In 2019, Christopher Niebel, also known as “Tax guy Chris” in Allen Park, stole a number of I-9 forms from Party City. These documents contained personal identifying information such as names, social security numbers, and dates of birth. He stored these documents for later use in a scheme to defraud the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency by submitting false claims for pandemic unemployment benefits.

Niebel used the stolen PII to apply for benefits without the knowledge or consent of the individuals whose information he stole. Despite his guilty plea to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in February, Niebel will serve a five-year prison sentence and must pay back over half a million dollars in restitution. He also received three years of supervised release as part of his sentence.

Niebel had been working as a seasonal manager at Party City when he stole the I-9 forms. The former employee opened multiple bank accounts in Michigan to receive the PUA funds, which were wired to those accounts. Despite his guilty plea, Niebel will face serious consequences for his actions and has been sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $512,000 in restitution.