CA Woman Gets 3 Years for Using Stolen Identities for Over $500K in COVID Relief
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A woman in Riverside County, California was sentenced to 3 years in prison for using stolen personal information of dozens of individuals obtained from the darknet to obtain over 4500,00 in COVID-19 relief.
Cara Marie Kirk-Connell, 33, of Menifee, was accused of obtaining dates of birth and Social Security numbers that she knew had been stolen and accessed via the darknet. She also confessed to watching YouTube videos on how to commit unemployment insurance fraud and then applying for unemployment insurance benefits from the California Employment Development Department (EDD).
Inland Empire woman sentenced to over three years in prison for using stolen identities to fraudulently obtain over $500,000 in COVID relief
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Los Angeles, CA - A Riverside County woman pleaded guilty today to a federal criminal charge for fraudulently obtaining more than $500,000 in COVID-related unemployment benefits for herself.
Cara Marie Kirk-Connell, of Menifee, pleaded guilty to a single-count information charging her with use of an unauthorized access device.
According to her plea agreement, from May to October 2020, Kirk-Connell knowingly used approximately 50 unauthorized access devices. Specifically, she used stolen personal identifiable information, such as dates of birth and Social Security numbers, to apply for unemployment insurance benefits in the names of other people.
Based upon Kirk-Connell s false and fraudulent applications, she obtained from the California Employment Development Department (EDD) multiple debit cards that contained more than $500,000 in COVID-related unemployment benefits to which she was not entitled, the plea agreement states.
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES, Dec 16 (Reuters) - A Southern California woman who prosecutors say obtained more than $500,000 in COVID-19 benefits using stolen Social Security numbers and other personal information pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a federal criminal charge.
Cara Marie Kirk-Connell, 32, admitted in a plea agreement to purchasing stolen identities through the dark web and watching YouTube videos on how to file fraudulent unemployment claims, prosecutors said.
Kirk-Connell pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to a single count of use of an unauthorized access device.
The Riverside County woman faces a maximum of to 10 years in federal prison when she is sentenced in April, although federal sentencing guidelines typically call for less time behind bars.
(AP Photo/WHDH-TV Boston)
The people of California are fortunate that Cara Marie Kirk-Connell’s fraud through the Employment Development Department is a federal offense. If Kirk-Connell had committed her crimes solely in L.A. County, the progressive District Attorney George Gascon would probably have coddled her and treated her as a poor victim of an unjust legal system. It would be pointed out that she was doing everyone a favor in exposing weaknesses and inequality of the so-called safety net, as well as the justice system.
Kirk-Connell was charged in October with identity theft, mail fraud, and access device fraud to illegally obtain unemployment and enhanced COVID-19 benefits. She was one of the first mud tracks to what we now know is a raging river of corruption. So, while she is the tip of the spear, so to speak, she should be no less culpable. With the wire fraud and the robbery of federal COVID relief funds, she crossed the Rubicon and is now looking towards some quality
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