ALBANY, NY (February 27, 2026) — Aly Kaba, 30, of New Rochelle, New York, was sentenced Friday to 54 months in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme that used stolen identities to fraudulently obtain pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York announced. 
U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also ordered a three-year term of supervised release following Kaba’s prison sentence, restitution totaling $182,227 to the states of New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island and forfeiture of a money judgment, according to the announcement. 
Kaba used multiple stolen identities, including those of victims identified by initials and two men who had died more than a decade before the COVID-19 pandemic, to make fraudulent claims. Evidence presented at trial showed the scheme resulted in claims for more than $600,000 in benefits and that he received over $150,000 from the New York State Department of Labor, prosecutors said. 
Prosecutors said Kaba used some of the fraud proceeds for overseas travel and to purchase a Rolex watch. 
Kaba’s co-conspirator and former roommate, Tony Brobbey, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft and was sentenced in January 2026 to three years’ probation with periodic weekend jail time, officials said. 
In a statement, First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III said Kaba “thought his fraud would get him some new gear and luxury vacations, but in the end, all he got was a trip to federal prison and a jumpsuit.” Sarcone added that the sentence shows that authorities “will bring to justice anyone who fraudulently exploits a crisis to steal from taxpayers.” 
Acting Postal Inspection Service Chief Nicholas Bucciarelli said investigators will “thoroughly investigate cases when individuals falsely obtain benefits they are not entitled to,” and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan highlighted law enforcement’s commitment to protecting public funds. Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, said the agency will continue working to “ensure accountability.”
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
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