9 San Diego prison inmates charged in California unemployment benefits fraud scheme
Copyright Associated Press
and last updated 2021-01-14 14:24:32-05
SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Nine men in San Diego County are facing felony charges stemming from a statewide unemployment fraud scandal among California prison and jail inmates, the District Attorney s Office announced Thursday.
The defendants, who allegedly committed the fraud between June and September of last year, were assigned to the Male Community Reentry Program (MCRP) in San Diego that allows qualified state prison inmates to serve the final months of their sentences in a halfway house setting.
The San Diego County DA s office alleges the inmates lied on application forms to the Employment Development Department and violated state prison rules regarding applying for public aid, fraudulently collecting a total of $166,132 in EDD funds.
Ex-California contract worker charged in pandemic aid scam with inmate boyfriend [Los Angeles Times]
A former employee who worked for California’s unemployment insurance program has been charged with conspiring with her prison inmate boyfriend to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in pandemic aid, the U.S. attorney’s office said Thursday.
Nyika Gomez, 40, of San Diego was arrested at her home Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and identity theft in San Diego federal court.
The scam is among several that investigators have uncovered in recent months involving fraudulent COVID-19 unemployment payments to prison inmates, including notorious convicted murderer Scott Peterson at San Quentin State Prison. Earlier this month, state authorities said at least $400 million had been paid on some 21,000 prison claims.
Scammer uses Dianne Feinstein’s name to claim unemployment benefits in California, feds say [San Francisco Chronicle]
Dec. 18 Dianne Feinstein has been a U.S. senator from California for almost three decades, during which her name and image have graced countless news pieces. But apparently no one at the California Employment Development Department noticed when Feinstein or rather a scammer using her name and Social Security number filed for unemployment benefits, collecting $21,000.
That same fraudster collected at least $200,000 in benefits using multiple names at an address in Roseville (Placer County), federal investigators said Thursday.
“Think about this for a minute: EDD issues a debit card to Senator Dianne Feinstein!” Assemblymember Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, said in a statement. “How does that happen? I’ll tell you how, EDD is complicit in the fraud by mailing out Social Security numbers to scammers; or they are utterly incompetent by not even checking eligibi
Former California Unemployment Office Worker Charged in Scheme to Steal Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars in Pandemic Unemployment Aid justice.gov - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from justice.gov Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Scammer uses Dianne Feinstein s name to claim unemployment benefits in California, feds say
FacebookTwitterEmail
Federal investigators say California Sen. Dianne Feinstein was impersonated by someone who applied to and received unemployment benefits through the Employment Development Department.Stefani Reynolds / Getty Images
Dianne Feinstein has been a U.S. senator from California for almost three decades, during which her name and image have graced countless news pieces. But apparently no one at the California Employment Development Department noticed when Feinstein or rather a scammer using her name and Social Security number filed for unemployment benefits, collecting $21,000.
That same fraudster collected at least $200,000 in benefits using a number of names at an address in Roseville (Placer County), federal investigators said Thursday.