Illinois Tax Preparer Convicted at Trial After Stealing More Than $11 Million from Taxpayers in COVID-19 Assistance Fraud Scheme

 

A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois convicted an Illinois woman of unemployment insurance fraud for submitting false claims to a COVID-19 assistance program. From May 2020 and continuing through December 2022, Hmaidan and her co-conspirators submitted nearly 700 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims that caused over $11 million in fraudulent unemployment benefits to be dispersed.

“Hiam Hmaidan stole more than $10 million from American taxpayers during the COVID-19 pandemic through an unemployment insurance fraud scheme that submitted nearly 700 fraudulent claims,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “The Fraud Division will continue to find and prosecute fraudsters who exploited a national crisis to steal from Federal benefit programs.”

“Hiam Hmaidan nefariously used the identities of her tax clients and others without their knowledge or consent to steal over $10 million in unemployment insurance benefits meant to support struggling Americans,” said Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito of the U.S. Department of Labor. “Her conviction sends a clear message: my office, alongside Vice President Vance's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, will relentlessly pursue those who commit fraud and hold them accountable. Protecting the integrity of these critical programs isn’t optional — it’s our highest priority. Fraud is a tax you never voted for, and we’re coming after the people collecting it.”

“This guilty verdict is justice for the American people,” said Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Chicago Field Office. “Hiam Hmaidan took advantage of a program people relied on to get through a very difficult time. She and her co-conspirators stole millions from taxpayers at a time when families were struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables. Working closely with our fellow law enforcement partners, IRS-CI followed the money to expose the full scope of this scheme and helped bring it to an end. This verdict sends a clear message that if you try to cash in on a national crisis, you will be brought to justice and held accountable for your crimes.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hiam Hmaidan, 54, of Orland Park, Illinois, operated an unemployment insurance fraud scheme in which she agreed with others to defraud the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, which Congress established in 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

Hmaidan, together with her co-conspirators, submitted claims containing false information regarding the claimants’ employment status and the impact of the pandemic on their ability to earn a living. Hmaidan abused her position as a tax preparer by submitting many of the fraudulent claims using her clients’ names and personal information. Based on those fraudulent claims, unemployment insurance benefits were loaded onto debit cards and mailed directly to Hmaidan or to addresses accessible to Hmaidan and her co-conspirators. Once Hmaidan and her co-conspirators obtained the debit cards, they used the fraudulent proceeds on the cards to withdraw approximately $2.8 million in cash from ATMs near where they lived.

The jury convicted Hmaidan of one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and five counts of mail fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2. Hmaidan faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on all counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and IRS-CI investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Shy Jackson and Meredith B. Healy of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

ICE Asks Officials in Dallas, Texas to Not Release Illegal Alien Accused of Two Murders

 

This illegal alien from Mexico is accused of murdering two women in Texas over the course of six years

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer for an illegal alien who has been accused of committing two murders in Central Texas.

On April 27, 2026, police in Dallas, Texas arrested Luis Benitez-Gonzalez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, on two felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His criminal history also includes an arrest for possession of dangerous drugs.

The suspect: Luis Benitez-Gonzalez 

In May, according to local reports, police used DNA evidence to link Benitez-Gonzalez to two separate murders in Texas over the course of six years: The killing of 28-year-old Alba Jenisse Aviles in Bastrop County in 2018, and the killing of 34-year-old Alyssa Ann Rivera in Austin in 2024.

The first victim: Alba Jenisse Aviles

The second victim: Alyssa Ann Rivera 

“This illegal alien from Mexico is accused of murdering two women in Texas,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “He has also been arrested for charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of dangerous drugs. Alba Jenisse Aviles and Alyssa Ann Rivera should still be alive today. ICE asked officials in Dallas to not release this MURDERER. Because Dallas cooperates with ICE law enforcement, we will work with local law enforcement to ensure this criminal is NEVER loose in American neighborhoods again.”

Benitez-Gonzalez first illegally entered the country at an unknown date and location, but was arrested by Border Patrol in Texas in 2020 and removed to Mexico. He then once again illegally re-entered the country – a felony – at an unknown date and location.

Mexican Human Smuggler Sentenced for Role in Years-Long Smuggling Organization

Defendant facilitated illegal immigration of aliens from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, often committing armed robberies of the smuggled aliens

A Mexican national was sentenced Monday to 11 years in prison for her role in a years-long, prolific smuggling organization that operated at the U.S.-Mexico border.

According to the indictment, Ofelia Hernandez Salas, 64, of Mexicali, Mexico, and co-conspirators facilitated the travel of hundreds of aliens from and through numerous countries into the United States. Hernandez Salas charged the aliens as much as tens of thousands of dollars to illegally cross the Mexico-U.S. border. The aliens traveled from and through Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Eritrea, India, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Russia, Egypt, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico.

“Transnational human smuggling at a large scale directly threatens our national security,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Ofelia Hernandez Salas and her co-conspirators endangered our communities on a massive scale by illegally bringing foreign nationals from more than a dozen countries into the United States. Not only did she take away the ability to properly vet these people from immigration authorities, she and her co-conspirators also robbed these people of their personal belongings at gun or knife point. Illegal border crossings are already incredibly dangerous; this defendant only increased the potential of mortal danger they faced by adding robbery to her criminal acts.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office alongside our federal and international partners use every available tool to aggressively target and dismantle dangerous transnational human smuggling organizations and bring their leaders to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona. “This investigation and prosecution exemplify the work that is being done every day in the District of Arizona and through Joint Task Force Alpha to secure our nation’s southern border and protect the American people.”

Hernandez Salas and co-conspirators directed the aliens to cross the border in several ways. They provided aliens with a ladder to climb over the border fence, pointed out holes where they could climb under the fence, and provided a plank for them to walk over a waterway. In addition to moving aliens across the border in droves, Hernandez Salas and her co-conspirators also robbed the aliens of money, cell phones, and other belongings, often while armed with guns and knives.

In March 2023, Hernandez Salas and co-conspirator Raul Saucedo-Huipio were arrested in Mexico pursuant to an extradition request from the United States and remained in federal custody. Saucedo-Huipio has also pleaded guilty and is pending sentencing in June 2026. In December 2024, Hernandez Salas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States and three substantive counts of bringing an alien to the United States for commercial benefit or private financial gain. She is subject to deportation upon the completion of her sentence.

The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by JTFA, the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean, and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 450 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; more than 345 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

HSI Yuma investigated the case with assistance from U.S. Border Patrol (BP), Customs and Border Protection (CBP); U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; FBI; and the U.S. Marshals Service, working in concert with HSI Tijuana, INTERPOL, and the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. HSI also received substantial assistance from CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force and OFAC.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Mexico. The Justice Department thanks its Mexican law enforcement partners, who were instrumental in arresting Hernandez-Salas, and the Mexican Attorney General’s Office and the Mexican Foreign Ministry for making the extradition possible. The Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) provided significant assistance as well.

East Bronx History Forum Presentation. Wednesday, May 20th, 7:30pm.

 

Dear East Bronx History Forum Member,

Our 20th year is rapidly approaching its end. However, we have two more lectures in addition to the well-attended lecture sponsored by Bronx County Historical Society and From The Bronx earlier this month which featured John Adams impersonator, George Baker for the Bronx 250thCelebration. This month’s meeting will feature historian Kara Murphy Schlicting, her focus will be on the East River neighborhoods of Soundview, Harding Park and Clason Point.

In the 1910s, the bungalow colony Harding Park developed on marshy Clason Point. Through the 1930s–1950s, Robert Moses sought to modernize this East Bronx waterfront through the Parks Department and the Committee on Slum Clearance. While localism and special legislative treatment enabled Harding Park’s preservation as a co-op in 1981, the abandonment of master planning left neighboring Soundview Park unfinished. The entwined histories of recreation and residency on Clason Point reveal the beneficial and detrimental effects of both urban renewal and community development, while also demonstrating the complicated relationship between localism and large-scale planning in postwar New York City.

Kara Murphy Schlichting is an Associate Professor of History at Queens College and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She earned her Ph.D. from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Her work in late-19th and 20th-century American History sits at the intersection of urban and environmental history, with a particular focus on New York City. She has published in numerous journals and is the author of New York Recentered: Building the Metropolis from the Shore (University of Chicago Press, 2019).

Our 205th meeting this month will take place over Zoom on Wednesday, May 20th at 7:30 pm. Please, remember to follow us at BronxNYC.com for the meeting link and on our Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo and Youtube account pages for the most current updates or information.

Looking forward to seeing you.

Dorothy A. Krynicki

 Photo Caption: Clason Point Amusement Park

 Credit: New York Public

East Bronx History is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: EBHF May 2026-Soundview, Harding Park & Clason Point

Time: May 20, 2026 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Removes 642,410 Pounds of Unwanted Medications

 

On April 25, 2026, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration joined 4,306  law enforcement agencies across the country for the 30th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The bi-annual event collected 642,410 pounds of unneeded and expired medications at 4,417 collection sites nationwide. 

Since its inception in 2010, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has collected 

21,034,225 pounds – the equivalent of more than 10,500 tons – of unnecessary medications from homes to help prevent prescription drug misuse and reduce the risk of accidental overdoses and poisonings. 

For those unable to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, there are more than 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals, and businesses, in addition to many police departments, that offer safe medication disposal year-round. For information on permanent drop boxes, please visit DEA’s Every Day is Take Back Day page.

Complete results for DEA’s Spring National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are available on DEA’s Take Back Day page.

Volunteer with NYC Parks for Trees Count!

 

Volunteer with NYC Parks for Trees Count! Every ten years, NYC Parks takes stock of every public tree across the five boroughs. Just like the U.S. Census helps us understand people, this count helps NYC Parks understand and care for the trees that make our city livable, resilient, and beautiful. The latest Trees Count began in 2025 and is starting up again this month! Last year, 2,500+ volunteers helped count 46,000+ trees in 434 parks. But there are still plenty of trees left to count.

Consider joining an upcoming Trees Count event where you will receive the tools and training you need to help inventory trees across our city. Once you complete the training, you gain access to the official Trees Count app and can continue counting trees on your own or at Trees Count “Meet Ups” throughout the summer and fall. Tens of thousands of trees are waiting to be counted by someone just like you. Sign up to volunteer and meet your neighbors – human and arboreal! nyc.gov/parks/treescount

Trees Count at Van Cortlandt Park 
Volunteers will receive a tote bag with all the materials needed to count trees and then participate in a 30-minute training session that includes the basics of tree identification and how to measure and assess each tree. After the training, you’ll split up into different zones within the park to start counting trees using our Tree Census app.
Date/Time: Saturday, May 16, 10 a.m.
Location: Broadway, Jerome Ave, City Line, Van Cortlandt Pk S, Bronx 
More info: nyc.gov/parks/treescount
Contact: treescount@parks.nyc.gov

For questions or concerns, contact your borough community engagement coordinator: 

Robert Madera | Bronx Senior Community Engagement Coordinator
Community Boards: 4, 5, 7, 8
718.430.4667 | Robert.Madera@parks.nyc.gov

Ashley Santos | Bronx Community Engagement Coordinator
Community Boards: 1, 2, 3, 6
718.430.1861 | Ashley.Santos@parks.nyc.gov

Ashlyn Teather | Bronx Community Engagement Coordinator
Community Boards: 9, 10, 11, 12
718.430.1815 | Ashlyn.Teather@parks.nyc.gov

Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) - FREE Flotilla Watch Party This Saturday!

 

This Saturday from 10am to 1pm, the Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) is proud to participate directly in this year's Bronx River Flotilla with two boats, joining our partners and community in this powerful journey down the Bronx River, led by the Bronx River Alliance.

While the boats are on the water, BRAC will serve as a community watch party and rally space to support paddlers during the final stretch of their journey. Join us for a full day of celebration featuring a live DJ, games, arts and crafts, DIY sign-making, light snacks and drinks for sale, and both indoor and outdoor gathering spaces with air conditioning and accessible bathrooms.

Afterwards, the celebration continues for the rest of the afternoon at Hunts Point Riverside Park for the Golden Ball Celebration hosted by the Bronx River Alliance, The POINT CDC, and Rocking the Boat! BRAC will have a shuttle bus available for those who wish to attend this fun event featuring a drum circle, poetry, button making, painting, and (of course) boat rowing! Space is limited on the shuttle bus, so make sure to save your seat!

Governor Hochul Addresses State Preparedness Amid Possible Long Island Rail Road Strike

Governor Hochul: “No one wants a strike. I don't want a strike. That's why I've told the team at the MTA to bargain, and that's exactly what they're doing. But I'll tell you this: I continue to worry about affordability for Long Islanders. I'm not willing to ask Long Islanders to pay unnecessary fare hikes or higher taxes. I worked hard to put the MTA on stable footing and I will not risk that stability.”

Hochul: “Both sides must continue to negotiate in good faith toward a deal at the table... Yes, workers deserve to be paid fairly for their work, but at the same time, we must be responsible with public funds and the fares paid by Long Island residents. I believe that a deal can be reached here, and I'll continue to urge both sides to work together to avoid a strike.”

In just three days, the Long Island Rail Road may be shut down by a strike. Nobody wins in a strike. Everyone will be hurt — the riders who rely on the Long Island Rail Road and the thousands of workers who will lose wages. The Long Island Rail Road is the lifeblood of this island. Nearly 300,000 riders take it every single day, and we know that a strike would have significant impacts on the entirety of Long Island.

Now, we should not be here today. This potential strike was needlessly accelerated by reckless, unprecedented action from the Trump administration. Don't forget that. They thwarted the mediation process, which is what the normal course of business would have been and, perhaps, brought us to a better place by now. But, be it as it may, I must be prepared to respond.

And when I became Governor, this railroad was struggling. Ridership post-pandemic was down and there were calls to right-size the service, which means cut service. I took a different approach. While our revenues were down, I knew we had to create a better customer experience to get more people to come back on and feel comfortable riding the railroad again into work or their everyday business.

So instead of right-sizing service, I invested in the Long Island Rail Road. While other systems have cut service, we have increased service by 40 percent. We finished the third track, finally opened Grand Central Madison, and customer satisfaction and safety has surged because of our investments.

Now, of course, no one wants a strike. I don't want a strike. That's why I've told the team at the MTA to bargain, and that's exactly what they're doing. But I'll tell you this: I continue to worry about affordability for Long Islanders. I'm not willing to ask Long Islanders to pay unnecessary fare hikes or higher taxes. I worked hard to put the MTA on stable footing and I will not risk that stability.

So we have to be ready for whatever happens, and we are. The MTA has put forth a plan for shuttle buses that can be used by essential workers, and I want to be clear that these buses will not be able to replace full Long Island Rail Road service. That's why the MTA has encouraged employers and employees on Long Island to plan for work from home early next week if a strike occurs. The MTA and my office are in regular contact with local elected officials, and we will be ready.

There is only one way for this strike to be avoided. Both sides must continue to negotiate in good faith toward a deal at the table. Now, I've directed the MTA to do just that, negotiate in good faith, and they are. They have been. But they need a partner. Now I understand the MTA has put different proposals on the table without much response to them thus far. So in order to get a settlement, the unions need to start working to find a compromise.

Yes, workers deserve to be paid fairly for their work, but at the same time, we must be responsible with public funds and the fares paid by Long Island residents. I believe that a deal can be reached here, and I'll continue to urge both sides to work together to avoid a strike.