Seven people from New York City and Long Island have been busted in a massive COVID relief fraud scheme that netted $44 million — and one of the defendants was so brazen he rapped about his crime in a song named after the IRS, the feds alleged Wednesday.
The suspects scammed the money through thousands of bogus tax returns, spending it on jewelry, designer clothes, fancy cars and electronics, according to federal prosecutors who called it the largest scheme of its kind in the U.S.
One suspect, Keith Williams, described the fraud on a recorded call as like “taking candy from a baby,” while another, Jamari Lewis, bragged about the scheme in a rap track titled “Im So Sophisticated (IRS),” the feds allege.
Lewis, 26, of Queens, who raps under the name “Mr. Chaketah,” flashes high-end clothes and sneakers in the song’s music video, singing, ““That government bread I ran that s–t up, like how am I gon’ lose?” the feds allege.
All seven suspects have been indicted in Long Island Federal Court.
The fraudsters took advantage of several government relief programs enacted by Congress in 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic, which shut down the U.S. economy and killed more than 1.2 million Americans.
They applied for funds through the Employee Retention Credit, which was established to give businesses incentive to keep paying employees while they were shut down by giving back a percentage of their wages to the businesses through tax credits, the feds allege.
Federal prosecutors refer to the scheme as the largest Employee Retention Credit fraud case in the country.
The fraudsters also applied for Sick and Family Leave Credit, and several scammed relief bucks out of the Paycheck Protection Program, the feds allege.
Williams, 46, of West Hempstead, ran much of the scam’s operations out of his credit repair business, “Credit Reset,” the feds allege, and the suspects churned out thousands of tax returns between November 2021 and June 2023.
A raid of Williams’ home found millions of dollars in luxury items investigators believe was bought with the ill-gotten relief bucks — including items from Rolex, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Balenciaga, and Versace, and vehicles like a Land Rover, a Polaris Slingshot, and a Tesla Model Y, the feds said.
“As alleged, the defendants shamefully took advantage of a global health emergency to line their pockets with millions of dollars that were intended for struggling families and small businesses just trying to stay afloat and lavished themselves with luxury goods while shamefully boasting about their criminal activity,” acting U.S. Attorney John Durham said Wednesday.
Williams’ lawyer, Chris Cassar, called the indictment “overreaching.”
“The government will be unable to prove that Keith Williams intentionally and knowingly committed any conspiracy or tax crime,” he said.
The other suspects include Janine Davis, 41, of Wheatley Heights, Morais Dicks, 55, of Dix Hills, James Hames, 65, of Campbell Hall, Ewendra Mathurin, 32, of Queens Village, and Tiffany Williams, 41, of Brooklyn.
Williams’ lawyer, Gilbert Bayonne, said Wednesday she entered a not guilty plea, and it’s too soon in the process to comment on the case. Dicks’ lawyer, Darnell Crosland, said he “firmly denies the allegations.”
“He has always conducted his business with honesty and integrity. The charges are unfounded, Crosland said.
The other suspects’ lawyers didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment Wednesday.