Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 33-year-old Michael J. Villagomez Jr. of Buffalo was sentenced yesterday afternoon before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case to five years of probation.

The defendant used the personal identifying information of an elderly relative to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor. He also used his relative’s identity to obtain natural gas service at his own home. The defendant fraudulently received additional unemployment insurance benefits in in his own name through the Department of Labor, which were available through state and federal programs established during the COVID-19 pandemic. The crimes occurred between August 2019 and August 2021.

Villagomez pleaded guilty to two counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (Class “D” felonies) and one count of Identity Theft in the Second Degree (Class “E” felony) on April 5, 2022.

As part of his sentence, the defendant was ordered to pay $42,190 in restitution to the New York State Department of Labor. He has paid approximately $5,000 in restitution to the utility company.

DA Flynn commends the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and U.S. Secret Service their work in the investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Candace K. Vogel of the Special Investigations and Prosecutions (SIP) Unit.