Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the guilty plea of CHARDE BAKER, 37, in connection to four indictments charging 18 defendants with a wide range of criminal conduct, including a fraud conspiracy. BAKER pleaded guilty across two indictments to the following charges: one count each of Grand Larceny in the First Degree, Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree and Official Misconduct for operating as a ringleader to defraud the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (“PUA”) program and to one count of Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree for coordinating a residential burglary. Under the terms of her plea, she is
expected to be sentenced to 2 1/3-to-7 years in state prison on February 6, 2026.  

On October 20, 2025, CLIFFIE THOMPSON, the other PUA fraud ringleader, was sentenced to 4-to-12 years in state prison after pleading guilty in relation to three of the indictments – two for operating ghost gun conspiracies, alongside two co-conspirators, and one for defrauding the PUA program alongside BAKER, among other associates.  

15 associates of BAKER and THOMPSON in the PUA indictment previously pleaded guilty pursuant to their roles. One associate’s case remains open and pending. [1] Three associates are awaiting sentencing.    

In the residential burglary indictment, MUSHI WHITE and SAMEERA ROBERTS both previously pleaded guilty to Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree; WHITE was sentenced to 2 years in state prison in October 2025 and ROBERTS was sentenced to 5 years of probation in June 2025.  

“Charde Baker abused her position as a city shelter employee to orchestrate a scheme that defrauded funds intended for vulnerable, unhoused New Yorkers and others for personal profit,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Her conduct diverted funds from a vital pandemic-era program meant to support individuals during a difficult period of widespread fear and economic uncertainty. I commend our prosecutors for securing this conviction and ensuring Baker is held accountable as she faces prison time.” 

These indictments arose from a 2022 investigation of a ghost gun factory in THOMPSON’s East Village apartment, for which he was indicted in January 2023. THOMPSON was sentenced to 5 years in state prison in that case on January 8, 2024. The investigation into that matter uncovered two additional ghost gun conspiracies, in which he operated with co-conspirators.  

The evidence in those ghost gun conspiracies led the Office to discover the PUA fraud, which was led by BAKER and THOMPSON, who were both Department of Homeless Services (“DHS”) employees.  

According to court documents and statements made on the record, and as admitted in the defendants’ guilty pleas, from approximately April 17, 2020, to October 5, 2021, the defendants stole the personal identifying information of unsuspecting individuals and submitted fraudulent PUA claims to the New York State Department of Labor (“DOL”) in their names and without their knowledge. Once the claims were accepted, DOL issued bank cards to the addresses on the applications. The defendants provided addresses they had access to or control over, including their own home addresses. BAKER, THOMPSON and other DHS employees would use their positions to steal information, including from homeless residents, to commit the fraud. 

In total, the defendants submitted 170 false applications that netted approximately $1.2 million in payouts.   

The defendants used the funds to support lavish lifestyles. In particular, BAKER talked about using the money she received to take a trip to Mexico. During the period of the fraud, she took trips to Mexico and Tanzania. 

The investigation into the PUA conspiracy subsequently allowed the D.A.’s Office to uncover the burglary of THOMPSON’s apartment, at BAKER’s direction.  

According to court documents, statements made on the record, and as admitted in the defendants’ guilty pleas, between November 15, 2020, and November 23, 2020, BAKER sent texts saying she believed THOMPSON was unfairly withholding thousands of dollars of the group’s proceeds from the PUA fraud and keeping it in a safe in his apartment. BAKER, ROBERTS, and WHITE broke into THOMPSON’s apartment on November 23, 2020. 

Additional details about the wider investigation, including the two ghost gun conspiracies are available here. 

Assistant D.A.s Michael Kelley and Stephanie Shaffer are handling the prosecution of these cases under the supervision of Assistant D.A. David Hammer (Chief of Trial Bureau 70), and Executive Assistant D.A. Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division). Digital Evidence Analysts Padraig Friel and Andrew McCoy, Former Digital Evidence Analyst Sophie Haiman, Former Investigative Analyst Henry Brody, Paralegals Drew Halpern and Ivana Grandic Acevedo, the High Technology Analysis Unit including, Douglas Daus, Boris Vestfrid and Steven Moran, Rackets Investigator Ethan Ellsworth, Senior Rackets Investigator Lou Capolupo, Supervising Rackets Investigators Daniel Clark-El, Max Adler, Patrick O’Brien, and Veronica Rodriguez and Assistant Chief of the Investigation Bureau Jon Reid are providing valuable assistance in this case. 

 

D.A. Bragg thanked the NYPD, including Detective John Uske (Major Case Field Intelligence Team), Detective Ayers (PSA 4), Sergeant Nikia Diggs (Internal Affairs Bureau), Lieutenant Aleksandr Zekster (Internal Affairs Bureau), Police Officers James Mills, Jeralmys Rodriguez (PSA 4), Vallery Alexis (PSA 4), and Cespedes Estrella (PSA 4); the New York State Department of Labor, including Investigator Kerry Sukhnandan; the United States Department of Labor, including Special Agent Adam Hiatt; the Department of Homeless Services, including Daniel Korenstein, Yvonne Ballard, and Iris Rodriguez; the Department of Investigation, including Investigators Alexandra Davies and Jeremy Reyes; and the United States Postal Service Inspector General, including Special Agent Stephanie Luk. 

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[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.