Ex-Seattle man gets 8 years for stealing $1M in pandemic benefits

SEATTLE (AP) — A former Seattle man who stole over $1 million in jobless benefits and small business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison. U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said 42-year-old Bryan Sparks was also ordered at sentencing Tuesday to pay over $1 million in restitution. He was indicted for the fraud scheme in November 2021 and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in January. From March 2020 into 2021, Sparks and a coconspirator used stolen personal information of over 50 Washington residents and businesses to apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the Small Business Administration and unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department.