DETROIT - Farmington Hills resident Andre Taylor Jr. was sentenced to 75 months in federal prison yesterday on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft arising out of a pandemic fraud and credit card scheme, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.

Joining in the announcement were Acting Special Agent in Charge Felicia George, US Postal Inspection Service, Andre Martin, Special Agent in Charge, U.S Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

Taylor Jr., 28, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to one count of wire fraud arising from a broad-based scheme to defraud the Unemployment Insurance Agencies of several states, along with numerous banks and retailers. He also pleaded guilty at that time to one count of aggravated identity theft, reflecting the fact that his scheme involved the misuse of the personal identifying information of individual victims.

United States Attorney Ison stated “This defendant indiscriminately stole from pandemic relief programs, from banks, and from the public. He took money from wherever it was available, and he did not care whom he harmed along the way. Mr. Taylor’s conviction and sentence is a reflection of my office’s commitment to aggressive prosecution of those who steal identities to defraud both public and private victims.”

In addition to the 75 months of imprisonment, Taylor Jr. was ordered to pay $774,607 in restitution to his victims.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John K. Neal. The investigation was conducted jointly by the Postal Inspection Service, the USPS Office of the Inspector General, and the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General.