Minnesota woman sentenced to 7 years in prison in $7M pandemic aid fraud scheme

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota woman has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for fraudulently applying for roughly $7 million in pandemic aid. U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud sentenced 40-year-old Bloomington resident Tequisha Solomon on Tuesday. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December 2022. Solomon’s plea agreement says she received $37,000 in unemployment aid from California when she wasn’t living there. She also charged up to $2,000 a pop to submit at least 200 fraudulent aid claims on behalf of others. In total, prosecutors say the government gave out at least $4.7 million in fraudulent aid because of Solomon.