3 Pittsburgh residents accused in $1M fraud scheme targeting pandemic unemployment

Three Pittsburgh residents face felony charges in connection with a scheme that defrauded Pennsylvania of nearly $1 million worth of pandemic-related unemployment relief, according to charges filed by the state Attorney General’s Office.

Linda Slade, 51, of Westwood; Rochelle Oaks, 66, of Perry South; and Keith Brown, 53, of Brighton Heights all face two counts of corrupt organizations and one count each of theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking, conspiracy and tampering with records.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the charges Monday.

“These defendants took advantage of a program meant for everyday people whose lives were uprooted by covid-19 to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from all of us,” Shapiro said. “We are working overtime to track down people who undermine the public by breaking the law and committing fraud.”

An anonymous email to Shapiro’s office in July sounded the alarm about a woman, later identified as Slade, bragging that she’d made at least $50,000 helping people file for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

That tip led investigators to a scheme that saw alleged fraudsters roping others into the mix, hotel stays and cash exchanges on the North Side.

According to the criminal complaints against the trio, Oaks became part of the scheme when she texted a woman she was told could help her file her own claim. The woman said she’d walk Oaks through the process if she’d fill out applications for others as well.

Police said that woman, though now deceased according to the complaint, filed at least 81 false PUA applications.

From there, Oaks said she began working with people sent to her by the woman, and she’d meet Brown, the woman’s boyfriend, to get her cut of the money the woman charged for filling out the applications, according to the complaint.

Slade became involved when Oaks told her she might qualify for the unemployment money, investigators wrote. From there, Slade began her own arm of the operation, curating her own list of people for whom she’d file applications.

Shapiro said the two worked together, “but each had unique, separate lists of contacts for whom they filed.”

All told, Slade filed 61 claims that paid out $925,273, investigators said. Oaks’ 31 applications resulted in $249,227 in payments, though investigators noted “it is believed that Oaks prepared many more applications that have not been documented to date. Of those 92 applications filed on behalf of others, 65 people were ineligible for pandemic assistance.”

Investigators said they suspect the total payouts will exceed $2 million once the full extent of Oaks’ and Slade’s suspected fraud is totaled and combined with that of the deceased woman who initially roped Oaks in.

Shade and Oaks were arrested and released Monday on their own recognizance. Brown remains in the Allegheny County Jail unable to post $7,500 bail.

None of the three suspects had attorneys listed as of Tuesday morning. Slade and Oaks could not immediately be reached for comment.