Stolen identities, VPNs and proxy servers, and $2.3 million in unemployment claims
David Godin, of Miami, Florida — who also used the aliases "James St Patrick," "David Wetty" and "Vic Pro" — was sentenced in June 2025 to 78 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. From June 2020 through November 2023, he used stolen personal information, anonymous email addresses, virtual private networks and proxy servers to file at least 140 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims against multiple state workforce agencies, obtaining more than $2.3 million.
- Year
- 2025
- Where
- United States
- Outcome
- Sentenced
- Reported loss
- $2.3 million
- Victims
- Not stated in the sources
- Schemes
- Unemployment insurance fraud
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-11
The facts, as recorded
- David Godin, of Miami, Florida, also known by the aliases "James St Patrick," "David Wetty" and "Vic Pro," was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison plus 3 years of supervised release.
- He was convicted of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
- From June 2020 through November 2023, Godin used the personal identifiable information of identity theft victims, along with anonymous email addresses, virtual private networks and proxy servers, to file fraudulent unemployment insurance claims while evading state fraud-detection systems.
- He filed at least 140 fraudulent claims against multiple state workforce agencies, including the Maryland Department of Labor and the California Employment Development Department.
- The scheme obtained more than $2.3 million in unemployment insurance benefits.
- Godin was ordered to forfeit $1,087,345.66 and pay $1,137,894.56 in restitution.
- U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes: Godin "used the money to buy nice things and live a life of luxury," and recorded himself "with the spoils of his fraud, including stacks of cash, expensive watches, and sports cars."
Why this case matters
Every claim Godin filed needed a real person’s stolen name, date of birth and Social Security number — but none of those people had to do anything, say anything, or be contacted at all. The theft happened entirely between Godin’s keyboard and a state agency’s claims portal.
Built to evade detection, not just to steal
The anonymous emails, VPNs and proxy servers are the detail that separates this from a single opportunistic claim: this was infrastructure built specifically to defeat the fraud-detection systems state agencies stood up in response to the pandemic-era surge, filed repeatedly across state lines rather than once.
The caveat
Godin has been sentenced; this is a concluded criminal case.
Sources
- Miami man sentenced to federal prison for $2.3 million COVID-19 unemployment insurance benefits fraud scheme. US Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Accessed 2026-09-11. Supports: Godin's name, aliases, the sentence, the charges, the 2020–2023 timeline, the VPN/proxy-server method, the 140-plus claims across multiple states, the $2.3 million total, the forfeiture and restitution figures, and the Hayes quote.