Woman with 5 kids accused of 24 fraudulent Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend filings

The State of Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend Division agency successful downtown Anchorage connected Aug. 31, 2022. (Valerie Lake/Alaska Public Media)

State prosecutors opportunity a female faces much than 2 twelve felony charges aft she fraudulently revenge for 4 years of Alaska Permanent Fund Dividends for her and her 5 children.

Court records show Otaota Mokoma, 35, charged pinch 24 counts related to falsifying records successful nan case, spanning from 2018 to 2021, positive 1 count each of first-degree theft and strategy to defraud.

According to a charging archive against Mokoma, fraud investigators pinch nan authorities Permanent Fund Dividend Division sewage a extremity successful July 2023 astir her PFD filings. An introspection wished that she had received much than $25,000 successful fraudulent dividends from 2018 to 2020, aft online filings for those years which were geolocated to Utah.

“Mokoma indicated that she and each of her 5 children were successful Alaska astatine nan clip she applied for 2018-2021 PFDs,” prosecutors wrote. “She besides provided mendacious addresses wherever she and her 5 children allegedly resided successful Anchorage, Alaska astatine nan time.”

Prosecutors opportunity Mokoma besides revenge for six 2021 dividends, successful an exertion geolocated to Seattle. She allegedly called nan authorities successful October 2021 to inquire astir nan position of her applications.

“She was advised that her applications were pinch nan Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU) and was provided pinch interaction accusation for nan CIU,” prosecutors wrote. “There are nary further records of Mokoma contacting CIU aliases (the division) again.”

When an interrogator said pinch Mokoma by telephone successful October 2023, she allegedly said that she had near Alaska successful 2017, which was nan past twelvemonth she said she applied for a PFD. She specifically denied filing for dividends for herself aliases her children from 2018 to 2021, prosecutors said successful nan charging document.

But investigators said dividend checks for Mokoma’s 2018 applications were sent to an Anchorage address. The 2019 and 2020 dividends were straight deposited into a Credit Union 1 account, for which Mokoma was nan sole proprietor and signatory.

Investigators besides said pinch unit astatine nan Alaska Housing Finance Corp., which owned nan lodging portion wherever Mokoma allegedly claimed to unrecorded successful her dividend filings. They said Mokoma had applied for lodging successful 2018, but was rejected.

“AHFC has nary records of Mokoma and/or her children ever domiciled astatine immoderate of their properties, including nan 1 listed successful (the fraudulent applications),” prosecutors wrote.

Court records sanction nary counsel for Mokoma, and she was not listed successful authorities custody connected Tuesday.

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Grannik, who is prosecuting nan case, said successful an email Tuesday day that nan 2021 dividends Mokoma had applied for were ne'er paid. He said that a tribunal summons had been issued for Mokoma to look successful nan case.

Mokoma’s lawsuit is conscionable 1 illustration of dividend fraud nan authorities has seen successful caller years. In 2018, erstwhile Alaskan Sheila Mary Rose McMahon was charged pinch astir 150 felonies aft prosecutors said she sought much than $80,000 successful fraudulent PFDs. Court records show she pleaded blameworthy successful 2019 to 1 count of strategy to defraud, paying much than $13,000 successful fines.

Cook Inlet fisherman and governmental fig Roland Maw reached a akin plea deal 2 years ago, paying astir $10,000 successful fines and restitution aft he collected six years of dividends while domiciled successful different state.