In a shocking turn of events, former USC football player Abdul-Malik McClain has agreed to a plea bargain for his alleged involvement in a fraudulent COVID-related unemployment benefits scheme. According to a copy of the plea agreement obtained by The Los Angeles Times, McClain will plead guilty to one count of felony mail fraud for his role in orchestrating a scheme that sought to claim more than $1 million in fraudulent benefits from California's Employment Development Department between July 2020 and September 2020.
McClain, who played for USC from 2018 to 2020, was arrested in December 2021 and initially charged with 10 counts of mail fraud and two counts of identity theft. The charges stemmed from allegations that he filed fraudulent claims on behalf of USC football players under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which was established during the pandemic to provide aid to those who didn't qualify for standard unemployment benefits. At the time of his arrest, McClain pleaded not guilty and was released on a $20,000 bond.
However, just a month before his trial was set to begin, McClain agreed to the plea bargain, with a hearing scheduled for June 17. As part of his plea, McClain must pay restitution and could face significant jail time. While the maximum statutory sentence for felony mail fraud is 20 years, federal sentencing guidelines suggest a range of 70 to 87 months in prison.
The original indictment cited 36 fraudulent PUA benefit claims that McClain either filed or assisted in filing, using the names of teammates, friends, and others whose identities were stolen as part of the scheme. In his plea agreement, McClain admitted to his role as "a leader or organizer" of the scheme, which involved using claimants' names and Social Security numbers to knowingly file PUA claims containing false employment information, all with the intent of fraudulently obtaining debit cards from Bank of America. Some of these debit cards were sent to addresses where McClain had direct access, while in other cases, he received direct payment from those who received the debit cards from EDD.
McClain and his unidentified co-schemers sought a total of $1,056,092 in benefits from EDD as part of the scheme but ultimately received approximately $283,063. The former USC football player left the university in November 2020, shortly after his brother, Munir, was suspended indefinitely from the football team in September 2020 amid complaints that USC football players were being approached with a plan to apply for EDD benefits. Interestingly, Abdul-Malik McClain himself was never suspended.
Both Munir and Abdul-Malik McClain confirmed to The Times in October 2020 that they had received benefits from the PUA program. During that fall, multiple USC football players were approached at their campus residences about the scheme, with some even being given subpoenas to appear before a grand jury. At the time, the McClain family remained resolute over several interviews with The Times, maintaining that neither of the brothers had done anything wrong.
As the case progresses and the plea hearing approaches, the football community and the public at large await further details about the extent of the scheme and the involvement of other individuals. The outcome of this case will undoubtedly have significant implications for Abdul-Malik McClain's future and serve as a cautionary tale about the consequences of engaging in fraudulent activities, even in the face of economic hardship brought on by the pandemic.
