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Press Release

California Man Sentenced to Prison for Mail and Wire Fraud

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Iowa

DAVENPORT, Iowa – On January 8, 2018, Nikolai Monastyrski, age 37, of Folsom, California, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 57 months in prison for mail and wire fraud involving unemployment benefits falsely obtained from Iowa Workforce Development announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum.

Monastyrski, a Russian national who became a naturalized United States citizen during the fraudulent activity, pleaded guilty to seven counts of mail fraud and seven counts of wire fraud, all involving false and fraudulent applications with Iowa Workforce Development for unemployment benefits. Monastyrski falsely stated several businesses were operating in the State and employing workers. He then used the identifications of the false workers to apply for and obtain unemployment benefits. Monastyrski resided in California at the time of the fraudulent activity.

The Iowa fraud commenced in 2014 and was discovered in late 2015. Monastyrski also defrauded unemployment insurance programs in Illinois and Pennsylvania. Monastyrski was ordered to pay restitution in excess of $390,000 to the three state agencies. Monastyrski was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his period of imprisonment and to pay $1,400 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General in Chicago with assistance from Iowa Workforce Development, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Contact

Rachel J. Scherle
515-473-9300
Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov

Updated January 9, 2018

Topic
Financial Fraud