A South Bend man will spend nearly five years in federal prison for a COVID-era fraud scheme.

40-year-old Verrhontez Williams was sentenced to fifty-seven months after admitting he used the stolen identities of 23 people to claim fraudulent unemployment benefits.

Prosecutors say Williams had the funds loaded onto debit cards mailed to his home, totaling more than $168-thousand dollars.

He has been ordered to pay that full amount back in restitution.