Springfield Man Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Companies in Flexible Spending Account Scheme

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JASON WHITEHEAD, 42, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 15 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for defrauding multiple companies through a flexible spending account scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Whitehead worked at PayFlex, a company that administered health care and dependent care spending accounts for corporate employees.  PayFlex was acquired by Aetna Inc. in 2011.  Whitehead worked at the PayFlex division until approximately August 2017, when he transferred to another division at Aetna.  However, he retained his employee access to PayFlex’s computer systems via his login credentials.

From September 2016 through July 2019, Whitehead defrauded multiple corporate victims of monies intended to be paid to the victims’ employees for dependent care reimbursements.  Using access he had to PayFlex’s systems, Whitehead created multiple fictitious employees at three different victim companies.  He then submitted to PayFlex dozens of fraudulent reimbursement claims for dependent care expenses by the fictitious employees.  Through this scheme, PayFlex made $176,200 in payments to Whitehead and to third parties that Whitehead designated.

Judge Thompson ordered Whitehead to make full restitution to PayFlex.

On October 27, 2020, Whitehead pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.

Whitehead, who is released on bond, is required to report to prison on July 19, 2021.

This investigation was led by a Hartford Police Department detective in his capacity as a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Connecticut Cyber Task Force (CCTF).  The FBI’s CCTF is staffed with detectives from the Connecticut State Police’s Cyber Crimes Investigation Unit and the Bristol, Hartford, New Canaan, Orange, Stamford, Torrington, Watertown and UConn Police Departments.  To contact the CCTF, please call the FBI’s New Haven Field Office at 203-777-6311.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.