Former Patriots WR Kenbrell Thompkins Ordered To Pay Back $132,980 In Stolen COVID Relief Funds
BOSTON (CBS) -- Kenbrell Thompkins -- the former NFL wide receiver who played for the Patriots, Raiders, and Jets -- has been ordered to pay back the money he illegally obtained by stealing identities and claiming COVID relief funds in 2020.
Attorney Darren Heitner posted the ruling from the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida, which ordered the 33-year-old Thompkins to pay $132,980 in restitution to the victim.
In March of 2021, Thompkins was charged with fraud and identity theft for obtaining $230,000 in unemployment from the government. The U.S. Attorney's Office stated at the time that Thompkins "used the stolen identities of numerous Florida residents to obtain fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits from the State of California." Thompkins obtained the money through the COVID Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was passed to help individuals and businesses in financial need early in the days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In October, Thompkins pled guilty to the charges.
Thompkins went undrafted in 2013 after playing collegiately at the University of Cincinnati, signing with the Patriots as a rookie. He caught 32 passes for 466 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie, famously hauling in the game-winning touchdown from Tom Brady to beat the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. Thompkins played in just two games for the Patriots in 2014 before getting released. He played 12 games for the Raiders that season. He briefly returned to the Patriots' practice squad in 2015, but was cut before signing with the Jets. He played in seven games for New York in 2015.
