A former Arizona man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor Tuesday to five years in prison for his role in a pandemic relief fraud scheme.
The US Attorney's Office says 55-year-old James McAuliffe stole identities to apply for replacement driver's licenses in Maine, then used the IDs to receive unemployment benefits.
Across the country, the U.S. Justice Department says it's seized more than $1.4 billion in stolen COVID-19 relief funds and charged more than 3,000 defendants with crimes.
McAuliffe, who pleaded guilty in August, must also pay more than $200,000 in restitution.
