ABINGDON, Va. — Seventeen people in southwestern Virginia have been indicted on charges that they defrauded pandemic relief unemployment benefits.

A federal grand jury in Abingdon handed down the indictment May 21, but it was just made public this week.

All 17 defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, fraud in connection with emergency benefits, and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia, three of the defendants spearheaded the scheme to use the birthdates, Social Security numbers and other information of people they knew who were incarcerated in the Southwestern Regional Jail at Haysi. They then allegedly submitted that information to the Virginia Employment Commission in order to withdraw more than $341.000 in benefits.

The Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery investigated the case, with assistance from the Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office, Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, FBI, the Department of Labor and the Virginia Employment Commission.