Former Tinto Dishwasher Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Prison For Unemployment Fraud Scheme Targeting Coworkers

PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Terron Mason Moore, 34, of Philadelphia, PA was sentenced to 45 months’ incarceration, three years supervised release and restitution of $171,895 by Judge Gerald J. Pappert.  In February 2019, defendant pled guilty to seventeen counts of mail fraud, conversion of government funds, and aggravated identity theft in connection with his scheme to defraud the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Fund of $171,895. 

For over three years, the defendant operated a fraud and identity theft scheme, by stealing the personal identifiable information of approximately twenty-one individuals, including their social security numbers.  He used this information to file fraudulent unemployment compensation claims for the purpose of unlawfully obtaining government funds which are reserved for the purpose of assisting working people who have lost their jobs. 

The defendant chose targets known to him as they all worked at his same employer, the popular Philadelphia restaurant Tinto.  Many of the victims were students or at the start of their careers, who have suffered financial harm due to defendant’s crimes.  By taking advantage of his coworkers, the defendant funded a lifestyle which he otherwise would not have enjoyed including trips to Jamaica and Las Vegas.

“Instead of putting in an honest day’s work and being paid for those efforts, like his victims all did, the defendant resorted to fraud and theft,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain.  “He stole from his peers – people who were working hard to build their lives in an honest manner, which have now been compromised, and who have suffered great emotional distress as they try to reconstruct their credit and good names.  And ironically, he stole from the very same taxpayer funded program that assisted him when he previously filed his own unemployment claim to receive benefits after losing his restaurant job.”

“Terron Mason-Moore defrauded the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry by misusing the stolen identities of his co-workers to obtain over $170,000 in unemployment compensation benefits to which he was not entitled.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and state workforce agencies to protect the integrity of unemployment insurance benefit programs,” stated Richard Deer, Special Agent-in-Charge, Philadelphia Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

The case was investigated by U.S. Department of Labor, United States Postal Inspection – Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Megan Curran.