Kapolei woman sentenced for unemployment fraud

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Kapolei woman will serve two years in prison after she admitted to filing fraudulent unemployment claims during the pandemic.

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Phoebe Trinh, 33, was sentenced in federal court in Honolulu on Wednesday. In addition to prison time, she must also serve six months of supervised release.

Trinh, also known as Phuong Trinh Ngoc Vo, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated identity theft in April.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Trinh filed false claims that she was unemployed to receive Pandemic Unemployment Assistance payments from May to October 2020.

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She also filed a claim using the identity of a former employee at her family’s restaurant and directed the funds into her own bank account.

Court documents reveal Trinh received a total of $36,265 in funds she did not qualify for. She must surrender the money and pay $78,474 in restitution as part of her sentencing.

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