An Atlanta-area podcast host was sentenced to seven years in federal prison after obtaining millions of dollars in pandemic unemployment benefits by using a stolen identity.
Jonathan Dupitan, 36, host of a podcast called “Rich and Unemployed,” was sentenced April 14 by U.S. District Judge Victoria M. Calvert after pleading guilty in January to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the Justice Department.
Dupitan was also given three years of supervised release. He must pay restitution, the final amount of which will be determined at a future hearing.
How prosecutors say Dupiton’s scheme worked
Federal prosecutors said Dupitan organized a multimillion-dollar scheme that targeted California’s unemployment insurance program while he was serving a federal sentence in a halfway house for an earlier conviction of fraud involving food benefits.
Officials said the acts began in July 2020 and continued into early 2021, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when expanded federal benefits were available.
According to prosecutors, Dupitan obtained the stolen identities of hundreds of people and used the information to file fraudulent unemployment claims with the California Employment Development Department. Investigators said he and co-conspirators used virtual private networks, or VPNs, to conceal the true location of the claims and delay detection.
Once the claims were approved, the group changed the claimant’s information so that debit cards filled with benefits were sent to addresses in North Georgia, including Dupitan’s own address. The money was then withdrawn from ATMs mostly in the metro Atlanta area.
How much money was stolen?
In total, California’s unemployment system transferred approximately $3.8 million in fraudulent benefits, according to the Justice Department. More than $2 million was later withdrawn or spent.
‘They chose to exploit a vital safety net’
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Theodore S. “During the pandemic, when citizens were struggling with job loss and trying to make ends meet, Dupitan stole unemployment benefits by submitting false applications using hundreds of stolen identities,” Hertzberg said.
“At a time when Americans are facing unprecedented financial hardship, he decided to exploit a vital safety net for personal gain. The FBI is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who abuse public assistance programs and undermine trust in systems designed to help those in need,” Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said in the same release.
Dupitan has not posted about his sentencing or charges on social media, with his last Instagram post shared on July 30, 2025. As noted by the Justice Department, a popular slogan of Dupont’s is “Cheating is dope,” meaning “Finally rich after unstoppable determination.”