Attorney General Miyares Secures Six Indictments of Unemployment Compensation Fraud

RICHMOND, Va. – Attorney General Jason Miyares today announced that his office has produced six indictments of unemployment compensation fraud, as well as eleven guilty pleas for obtaining money by false pretenses.

• Jeremy G. Gibson, Gloucester County; charged with: one count of felony obtain money by false pretense (Va. Code Sec. 18.2-178); investigated by the Virginia Marine Police.
• Ryan J. Parnell, Gloucester County; charged with: one count of felony obtain money by false pretense (Va. Code Sec. 18.2-178); investigated by the Virginia Marine Police.
• Sorey Kaba, Henrico County; charged with: one count of felony conspiracy to obtain money by false pretense (Va. Code Sec. 18.2-22/18.2-178); investigated by the Virginia State Police, the United States Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General.
• Detresha Tansimore, Henrico County; charged with: one count of felony obtain money by false pretense (Va. Code Sec. 18.2-178); investigated by the Virginia State Police.
• Edgar Teel, Henrico County; charged with: one count of felony obtain money by false pretense (Va. Code Sec. 18.2-178); investigated by the Virginia State Police.
• Denzel Wilson, Henrico County; charged with: one count of felony obtain money by false pretense (Va. Code Sec. 18.2-178); investigated by the Virginia State Police.

The Attorney General’s Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit secured the eleven guilty pleas between August 2023 and November 2023. The Commonwealth will receive $91,756 in restitution to compensate for the fraudulent filings during the pandemic. 

“Our unemployment system exists to support Virginians when they’re down. This system was scammed and taken advantage of repeatedly during the pandemic, hurting our Commonwealth and our fellow Virginians,” said Attorney General Miyares. “I’m proud of the work my office has done and will continue to do to hold these bad actors accountable and restore trust in our unemployment system.”

These cases were the result of a collaborative effort between the Virginia Employment Commission, the Office of the Attorney General, and investigations conducted by the Virginia Marine Police and the Virginia Office of the State Inspector General.

In March of 2022, the Virginia Employment Commission asked Attorney General Miyares to help prosecute fraudulent claims for unemployment compensation. 

The Office of the Attorney General has no further comment as these cases are open and ongoing. 

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