A federal grand jury has indicted Anthony Mark Silva, 40, of Manchester, New Hampshire, on nine counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
According to court documents, Silva is accused of executing a scheme between July 2020 and June 2021 to defraud the California Employment Development Department (EDD). Prosecutors allege that Silva filed fraudulent unemployment insurance claims with EDD, seeking benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program and other provisions from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The indictment states that Silva obtained personally identifiable information—including names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers—of multiple individuals. He allegedly used this information to file false unemployment insurance claims. The filings reportedly misrepresented facts such as claimants’ employment status or eligibility for California unemployment benefits. In some cases, prosecutors say the claimants were not unemployed or otherwise ineligible for benefits; in others, Silva allegedly lacked authority to file on their behalf.
EDD approved dozens of these claims and instructed Bank of America to issue debit cards containing benefit funds. Authorities allege that Silva activated these cards and used the funds for personal expenses. The losses incurred by EDD and the United States exceeded $700,000.
“This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and EDD’s Investigation Division,” according to the press release. “Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nchekube Onyima and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny are prosecuting the case.”
If convicted on all charges, Silva could face up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each bank fraud count. A conviction for aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year prison sentence consecutive to any other penalties imposed. Sentencing would be determined by the court after consideration of statutory factors and federal sentencing guidelines.
Authorities emphasized that these charges are allegations only: “The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
