Former USC football player Abdul-Malik McClain has agreed to a plea bargain for his role in allegedly orchestrating a scheme from July 2020 to September 2020 that sought to claim more than $1 million in fraudulent COVID-related unemployment benefits from California’s Employment Development Department.
McClain, according to a copy of the plea agreement obtained by The Times, will plead guilty to one count of felony mail fraud.
McClain, who played at USC from 2018-2020, was arrested in December 2021 and charged with 10 counts of mail fraud and two counts of identity theft for allegedly filing fraudulent claims on behalf of USC football players under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which was established during the pandemic to provide aid to those who didn’t qualify for standard unemployment benefits.