People who defrauded the government over pandemic money have been using taxpayer money to buy cars, jewelry and more -- but the FBI says they won’t get away with it for long.

A man and a woman from Detroit have been sentenced for conspiring with a Michigan unemployment worker to steal thousands of dollars in pandemic relief funds.

A Detroit man conspired with a Michigan unemployment worker to steal thousands of dollars intended to help people who lost jobs due to the COVID pandemic.

DETROIT – The US Attorney’s office in Detroit has charged 39-year-old Brandi Hawkins of Detroit as a key figure in a scheme to defraud the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency of millions of dollars. Hawkins was hired as a contract worker for the state’s unemployment agency in April 2020. The feds say she used her access to sign off on $2 million in fraudulently filed claims. When federal agents went to her Detroit home they found $200,000 in cash and numerous new high end luxury items. The federal investigation is ongoing in tracking down everybody who received fraudulent funds as part of the scheme.

DETROIT – A Detroit woman has been charged for her alleged role in a multi-million dollar unemployment insurance fraud scheme, according to officials. View more Detroit crime reports hereBrandi Hawkins, 39, was a contract employee for the State of Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency. She was involved in the reviewing, processing and verifying the legitimacy of unemployment insurance claims. More than $2,000,000 of federal and state funds intended for unemployment assistance during the pandemic were fraudulently released. READ: Michigan investigating if new hires are stealing from Unemployment Insurance AgencyMore than $200,000 in cash was found at her residence by police.