SEATTLE — A 36-year-old Washington man who ran two brazen fraud schemes — one siphoning pandemic unemployment benefits from 19 states, the other targeting the home, bank accounts, and stock portfolio of a dead man — has been sentenced to three years in federal prison.
TL;DR: Tyler Lee Berens, 36, of Carnation, Washington, was sentenced Oct. 5, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Seattle to three years in prison for wire fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. He filed false pandemic unemployment claims in 19 states, collecting $148,206, and later tried to steal more than half a million dollars in assets from a deceased Seattle man by impersonating him. He pleaded guilty in July 2026.
Scheme one: unemployment fraud across 19 states
Beginning in May 2020, Berens submitted false claims for pandemic unemployment benefits in 19 different states: Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, Kansas, South Dakota, California, Arizona, Utah, Vermont, Alabama, Washington, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Idaho, Indiana, Delaware, and Colorado, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington announced.
He collected a total of $148,206 from six of those states — Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Washington. Berens also applied for a $17,500 Paycheck Protection Program loan with a false application; the loan was approved but no funds were ever paid out.
Scheme two: stealing a dead man’s estate
Two years later, Berens launched an even more audacious scheme: stealing the Seattle home, bank assets, and stock portfolio of a deceased elderly victim. Prosecutors say he posed as the victim’s authorized agent, impersonated the victim, and used the victim’s personal information in persistent attempts to fool real estate, bank, and brokerage representatives into handing over control of the estate.
Berens made multiple attempts to steal a total of more than half a million dollars’ worth of the victim’s assets.
“Addiction-fueled” but serious
Berens pleaded guilty in July 2026. At the Oct. 5 sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge John H. Chun described the crimes as “addiction-fueled” but nonetheless serious, with wide-reaching ramifications for the government programs he defrauded and the victim whose estate he targeted.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica M. Ly.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of Washington.
Featured photo: Seattle, Washington. (Image via builtin.com)
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Tyler Lee Berens?
Tyler Lee Berens, 36, of Carnation, Washington, was sentenced to three years in federal prison on Oct. 5, 2026, for wire fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft tied to two fraud schemes.
How did the unemployment fraud scheme work?
Starting in May 2020, Berens filed false pandemic unemployment claims in 19 states and collected $148,206 from six of them. He also submitted a false $17,500 PPP loan application, though no loan funds were disbursed.
What was the second fraud scheme?
Berens tried to steal the Seattle home, bank accounts, and stock portfolio — worth over half a million dollars — of a deceased elderly man by posing as the victim’s authorized agent and impersonating the victim to banks, brokerages, and real estate representatives.
What was his sentence?
U.S. District Judge John H. Chun sentenced Berens to three years in federal prison. Berens had pleaded guilty in July 2026.
Which agencies investigated the case?
The FBI, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General investigated; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica M. Ly prosecuted.
Where was Berens sentenced?
He was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Washington.
