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.
Dec 16, 2020
Imagine waiting for a pizza you ordered to arrive and having a cop show up with it. That’s what happened to one surprised customer in California after their delivery driver was arrested while on the way to bring the pie.
The Murrieta Police Department posted the story on their
OfficerDatil pulled over a driver for a traffic violation and then discovered he also had an outstanding warrant. So the delivery guy was arrested, but he still had a pizza he hadn’t delivered yet. And that’s when
Officer McCarthy took over.
He stepped in, driving the pizza to the waiting customer. Officer McCarthy didn’t take a tip for his service, with the department posting, “The smile on the hungry citizen’s face was all the ‘tip’ needed to know we are doing our job.”
By Heath West
Dec 16, 2020
Imagine waiting for a pizza you ordered to arrive and having a cop show up with it. That’s what happened to one surprised customer in California after their delivery driver was arrested while on the way to bring the pie.
The Murrieta Police Department posted the story on their Facebook page, explaining that Officer Datil pulled over a driver for a traffic violation and then discovered he also had an outstanding warrant. So the delivery guy was arrested, but he still had a pizza he hadn’t delivered yet. And that’s when Officer McCarthy took over. He stepped in, driving the pizza to the waiting customer.
Dec 15, 2020
While Officer Datil handled the arrest, another law enforcement officer, Officer McCarthy, took over the pizza delivery.“File this one under ‘wouldn’t you be surprised.’ the department wrote online. “Unfortunately the driver had to be arrested for their warrant but fear not. Officer McCarthy stepped in to fill the delivery driver’s shoes and got the pizza to the hungry citizen.”The whole incident may have worked out better than expected for the people who ordered the pizza. Though delivery drivers traditionally expect to be tipped, the Murrieta Police Department wrote on Facebook, “The smile on the hungry citizen’s face was all the ‘tip’ needed to know we are doing our job.”Fortunately, smiles are free.
As long as the pizza shows up, it doesn’t matter who brings it.
A police officer in California literally went the extra mile to help his community. After taking a pizza delivery driver into custody, the officer decided that the customers shouldn’t suffer because of someone else’s crime.
On Friday, the Murrieta Police Department posted the story to its Facebook page, revealing that Officer Datil pulled over a driver for a traffic violation, only to discover that the man had an outstanding warrant. The officer also learned that the man was working and on his way to deliver a pizza to a nearby home.