Convicted killer just released from prison accused of ‘despicable’ scam to get $139,555 in pandemic relief funds: Feds

A convicted killer is accused of fraudulently obtaining pandemic relief money in the weeks after he was released from prison, federal prosecutors alleged.

According to an indictment, Kyle McLemore, 44, of Philadelphia was found guilty in 1999 for killing Anthony Davis and shooting three other people at the University of Pennsylvania following a high school basketball game. He was sentenced to 18 to 36 years for the crimes, and was freed last year after serving 21 years behind bars.

In May 2020, just under one week after he left prison, McLemore allegedly fraudulently applied for and received $14,555 in emergency unemployment benefits, or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, related to the COVID-19 crisis, prosecutors said.

McLemore allegedly said he lost his job because of the pandemic, but investigators later discovered he claimed his last day working actually fell in the timeframe he was locked up. He also allegedly falsely said he could work if offered a job despite the fact he was incarcerated, the indictment states.

In June 2020, McLemore applied for and received $125,000 through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, which was created for struggling businesses, the indictment alleges.

McLemore, prosecutors said, gave “false information about an alleged tobacco business that he claimed to own during a time when he was still in prison, and denying that he had been on probation or parole within the last five years. To verify his application, the defendant submitted a forged business license from the City of Philadelphia.”

Federal authorities charged McLemore with one count of mail fraud and two counts of theft of public money. He faces up to 40 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $750,000 fine, restitution, and a $300 special assessment, if convicted of all charges.

“The COVID-19 pandemic brought massive economic upheaval for so many,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Defrauding the federal government programs created to mitigate that harm is despicable. Every dollar diverted to a scammer is a dollar not available for legitimate applicants in need. The FBI is committed to identifying, investigating, and bringing to justice anyone who thinks stealing taxpayer funds is the way to an easy payday.”