PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Four Florida men have been convicted of orchestrating an elaborate scheme to defraud federally funded programs out of millions of dollars in unemployment and pandemic-related benefits, according to acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Miron Bloom said the me n were involved in a complex conspiracy to steal people's identities, including Rhode Islanders, then use them to apply for unemployment benefits, tax refunds and stimulus payments, as well as disaster relief funds and loans. The men would have those funds deposited directly into one of hundreds of bank accounts opened solely for the purpose of receiving those payments, then withdraw the money using fraudulently opened debit cards, according to Miron Bloom. RELATED: Florida men charged in RI’s ongoing unemployment fraud investigation Court documents revealed that the men opened nearly 1,000 debit cards in fraudulent names with at least 20 banks. In total, prosecutors estimated that the men defrauded the federal government out of more than $4.8 million. "The volume, duration, and scope of the conspirators' scheme is staggering and indicative of the greed motivating the conspirators' criminal conduct," the court documents said. Miron Bloom said the four men pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud: Tony Mertile, 33, of Miramar, who's believe to be the ringleader, was sentenced to six years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Junior Mertile, 35, of Pembroke Pines, received a four-and-a-half year sentence followed by three years of supervised release. Allen Bien-Aime, 33, of Lehigh Acres, and James Legerme, 33, of Sunrise, were both sentenced to four years followed by three years of supervised release. "By looting the unemployment program, the conspirators repeatedly stole finite funds from those who needed it the most during the pandemic," the court documents continued. "Their relentless pursuit of these funds showed a callous disregard to unemployed workers, identity theft victims, state workforce agencies – who had the daunting task of administering an unprecedented relief effort – and American taxpayers, whose earnings underlie the funds in question." The federal government has moved to forfeit more than $4.9 million in funds that the men collected through the scheme. Miron Bloom said the men have also forfeited hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of Rolex watches and assorted jewelry, as well as the more than $1.2 million in cash that was collected from the residences of Tony Mertile, Junior Mertile and Legerme at the time of their arrests. The men have also agreed to pay more than $4.5 million in restitution to the federal agencies and financial institutions that were defrauded, which included the R.I. Department of Labor and Training. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media:                     Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW ...read more read less