A status conference for Abdul-Malik McClain, a former USC football player accused of orchestrating a COVID-19 unemployment benefit scheme, occurred Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles. McClain faces charges of fraud and identity theft.
McClain was accused of organizing and assisting a group of football players in “filing fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits” from Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which was established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s influence on employment, according to a press release of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2021.
McClain’s alleged fraudulent claims sought more than $900,000 in PUA. He ultimately received at least $227,736 from the California Employment Development Department. McClain was arrested and ordered released on a $20,000 bond in 2021.
McClain played linebacker for the Trojans before transferring to Jackson State in 2020, but the allegations date from his time at USC.
At the time of his arrest, a USC spokesperson said that after learning of the matter in September 2020, the university “notified law enforcement and have been fully cooperating with authorities,” according to Bleacher Report.
Photo courtesy of Ken Lund / CC BY-SA 2.0