Former New England Patriots wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins is facing multiple federal charges stemming from an alleged unemployment insurance scheme.
Thompkins was charged with access device fraud and aggravated identity theft after allegedly using stolen identities to illegally obtain roughly $300,000 in unemployment insurance payouts from the state of California during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, which levied the charges against the retired wideout, stated the following in a release last Friday:
“Kenbrell Armod Thompkins, 32, of Miami, Florida, a former National Football League (NFL) player, was charged by federal indictment with access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. It is alleged in court documents that Thompkins used the stolen identities of numerous Florida residents to obtain fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits from the State of California. California distributed these unemployment benefit funds in the form of debit cards, which were subsequently mailed to addresses associated with Thompkins in Miami and Aventura, Florida.
“Court documents allege that from August 16 through September 23, 2020, Thompkins used these debit cards to withdraw funds at various ATMs in Miami-Dade County. The alleged scheme involves approximately $300,000 in California unemployment insurance funds credited to the fraudulent debit cards associated with Thompkins, out of which approximately $230,000 of the funds were withdrawn.”
Thompkins joined the Patriots in 2013 and caught 32 passes for 466 yards with four touchdowns as an undrafted rookie, including an iconic Week 6 game-winner that capped a come-from-behind victory over the New Orleans Saints.
The Patriots cut Thompkins one month into the 2014 season. He returned for a brief stint on New England’s practice squad in 2015 and also spent time with the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets before his NFL career concluded in 2017.
