South Bend Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison

SOUTH BEND – On January 16, 2026, Verrhontez L. Williams, 40 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.

Williams was sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $168,744.00 in restitution to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

According to documents in the case, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020, Williams used other people’s personal identifying information to apply for Indiana unemployment benefits and benefits provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The cash benefits were deposited onto pre-paid debit cards that were mailed to Williams’s house in South Bend. Williams used the debit cards to withdraw cash at banks throughout the city. During the course of Williams’s scheme, at least 23 people’s names were used to apply for benefits totaling $168,744.00.

This case was investigated by the Department of Labor OIG, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jerome W. McKeever.