A Tucson couple has been sentenced after pleading guilty to felony charges in a scheme that defrauded the Arizona Department of Economic Security of more than $60,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits.
David Christopher Ellis, 42, was sentenced to six years in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Gabbrielle Elizabeth Ellis, 44, received seven years of probation. Both pleaded guilty in Pima County Superior Court to Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices, a Class 2 felony, and were ordered to pay $62,151 in restitution.
According to prosecutors, between June and August 2020 the couple submitted false applications to the Arizona Department of Economic Security using the identities of other individuals, including incarcerated inmates and other victims who were unaware their information was being used. The pair then collected the benefit payments for personal use.
The fraudulent claims resulted in more than $60,000 in benefits being paid out, impacting Arizona taxpayers and the individuals whose identities were exploited.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Tellez-Amado of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
