USC Trojans linebacker Abdul-Malik McClain poses for a photo before the game against the Utah Utes at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
A former University of Southern California football player has pleaded guilty to illegally claiming more than $1 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits and receiving more than $280,000 through a fraudulent scheme.
Abdul-Malik McClain, 24, who until recently lived in Coto de Caza in Orange County but is listed on the University of Southern California athletics website as being from Atlanta, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.
McClain, a linebacker who recorded two sacks in three seasons with the Trojans, left the school in 2020 amid a federal investigation into him and his brother, fellow Trojan player Munir McClain, in connection with fraudulently obtaining benefits from the California Employment Development Department, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
Munir McClain transferred to the University of Utah and scored two touchdowns last season, while Abdul-Malik McClain played at Jackson State in 2021 before his arrest.
“Instead of using his time at a major university to enhance his athletic and academic life, this defendant exploited a public health emergency to fraudulently obtain government benefits,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “My office will continue to aggressively prosecute individuals who exploit the recent pandemic for unlawful purposes.”
McClain was originally charged with 10 counts of mail fraud and two counts of general identity theft and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 16. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Prosecutors said McClain “organized a group of other football players to help him make fraudulent unemployment claims,” but the other players, including Munir McClain, were not named in the statement announcing Abdul-Malik McClain's guilty plea.
