An Arizona man and woman were sentenced to 2.5 years in prison each last week for their role in a pandemic aid fraud scheme, according to officials.
Katherine Comesano and Gary Cartier were sentenced to prison and ordered to repay $209,659 in criminal restitution on September 17, according to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
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They were originally charged with 27 felonies in April 2025, including 23 counts of forgery. They reduced their potential punishment by pleading guilty to one count of illegally conducting an enterprise last month.
How did Arizona couple operate pandemic aid fraud scheme?
Prosecutors allege that Comesano and Cartier filed 24 fraudulent applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Guam.
The couple used their own names with false employment or residency info on some applications, and others’ names on others.
They ultimately defrauded programs in Arizona and California out of more than $200,000.
According to authorities, the pair utilized the earnings from the pandemic aid fraud to pay for numerous Airbnb rentals in the Phoenix area as well as to purchase cars at auction.
“Protecting taxpayer dollars from fraud is one of the most important duties of my office,” Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a press release Thursday. “I’m proud of the members of my team who continue to diligently uncover individuals abusing government systems and hold them accountable to the full extent of the law.”
