A Detroit man is accused of stealing unemployment benefits and flaunting his luxury lifestyle in photos on Instagram.
Andre Taylor Jr., of Farmington Hills, was indicted Wednesday and accused of stealing unemployment benefits intended for Detroit residents who lost their jobs during the coronavirus outbreak.
Taylor, 27, who used the Instagram handle @_bigjuno, is accused of defrauding the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency and credit card companies and going on shopping sprees with the stolen loot.
Taylor stole the identities of area residents and filed for unemployment debit cards starting in April, during the early weeks of the pandemic, according to the Detroit News.
The debit cards were mailed to Taylor’s home and to the homes of relatives, prosecutors said. He is accused of paying cash bribes to mail carriers to give him the debit cards and obtain the names of people who lived along their mail routes, prosecutors said in the indictment.
Taylor used the debit cards to purchase expensive clothing, shoes, jewelry and luxury cars, then shared photos of his substantial stolen wealth on Instagram.
In one photo, Taylors wears a diamond-encrusted Audemars Piguet timepiece while flashing a handful of cash next to a table. On the table appears to be a blue Michigan unemployment insurance debit card.
In another photo, Taylor leans against a white Bentley while wearing expensive designer clothes and a Louis Vuitton bag. The post includes the hashtag #F***THEFEDS.
He was arrested in Los Angeles in June and charged with wire fraud, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.
At the time of his arrest, he told federal agents he had assets totaling $1,800 and worked at a Novi construction company in Detroit, earning about $400 per week, according to court paperwork.
He was released on bond and ordered to stay in Detroit, avoid committing any more crimes and he can’t be in possession of firearms.
