A Westwego resident has been sentenced for her role in a scheme to defraud state unemployment insurance offices. Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that Reha Janee Arvie, 35, received a sentence of 52 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment fee. The sentencing was handed down by United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance on November 19, 2025.
According to the indictment, beginning around July 2020, Arvie orchestrated a plan to submit approximately 100 fraudulent unemployment insurance applications across several states and the territory of Guam. She recruited friends and family through Facebook to participate in the scheme and charged them fees between $1,200 and $1,500 for each claim she filed on their behalf. Arvie also submitted claims for herself and others in states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Utah, Texas as well as Guam. One example cited in court documents showed that Arvie obtained $267,612 in benefits from California’s Employment Development Department. During the investigation into these activities, Arvie provided false information to federal agents.
The case was supported by several agencies including the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General; National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force; Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC); U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General COVID Fraud Unit; and California Employment Development Department.
The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Brian M. Klebba.
The press release highlighted ongoing efforts by federal authorities to combat pandemic-related fraud through initiatives such as the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force established by the Attorney General on May 17, 2021. This task force coordinates resources among government agencies to investigate and prosecute significant fraud cases related to pandemic relief programs such as unemployment insurance.
Additionally: “The PRAC was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending, including spending via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. This case was also supported by the PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence, which applies the latest advances in analytic and forensic technologies to help OIGs and law enforcement pursue data-driven pandemic relief fraud investigations.”
For more information about how federal authorities are responding to pandemic-related crimes or how individuals can report suspected fraud involving COVID-19 relief programs visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus or contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
