Ex NFL Wide Receiver Pleads Guilty to COVID Relief Fraud Scheme

Another former NFL player is in hot water.

Former NFL wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins pleaded guilty this week in a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 unemployment insurance benefits from the state of California.

According to court records obtained by the Associated Press, Thompkins entered guilty pleas on one count of unauthorized access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in a federal court in Miami on Monday. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6 and faces a maximum of 12 years in prison.

“Thompkins withdrew approximately $230,000 at various ATMs in Miami-Dade County, prosecutors said. They said the scheme involved approximately $300,000 in California unemployment insurance funds.”

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Ex-NFL player Kenbrell Thompkins pleads guilty to identity theft, COVID-19 relief fund. https://t.co/fVYzcdL1kT

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 20, 2021

Thompkins reportedly used stolen identities of Florida residents to apply for COVID-19 unemployment benefits from California.

Thompkins played three seasons in the NFL back in 2013-15 with the New York Jets, New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders.

Per Spotrac, he earned $1.4 million as an NFL player.

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