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A Hummelstown, Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty in a pandemic unemployment assistance scheme that defrauded the government of nearly $2.9 million.
Ardavan Alamoutinia, 33, entered his guilty plea on Wednesday (March 25) in Dauphin County, according to Local 21 News. Prosecutors say he and co-conspirator Aryanah Davidson, 26, used stolen identities to file more than 500 fraudulent applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).
The stolen identities — at least 375 in total — belonged to current and former employees of a company. A separate co-conspirator transferred those identities to Davidson, who then used them to file the fraudulent claims. The applications were submitted across 27 different states, ultimately costing the government $2,886,876.
Alamoutinia and Davidson allegedly spent at least $2.5 million of the stolen funds on a luxury sports vehicle and cryptocurrency.
Davidson had already pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme back in January 2025. Both defendants now face a maximum possible sentence of 232 years in prison.
Sentencing dates for both individuals have not yet been announced.