{"id":42472,"date":"2021-04-09T15:54:05","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T22:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=42472"},"modified":"2021-04-09T15:54:05","modified_gmt":"2021-04-09T22:54:05","slug":"three-women-used-names-of-prison-inmates-to-get-covid-19-unemployment-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=42472","title":{"rendered":"Three Women Used Names of Prison Inmates to Get COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0RIVERSIDE, California\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Federal authorities this week arrested three Inland Empire residents on fraud charges, officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

They allegedly used information belonging to California state prison inmates to file for pandemic-related unemployment benefits, with each causing at least $345,000 in losses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The three defendants are charged in separate criminal complaints, and each woman faces two counts \u2013 fraud in connection with emergency benefits and wire fraud.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0With the three cases, federal prosecutors have now charged a dozen defendants with fraudulently obtaining enhanced unemployment benefits implemented during the pandemic. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"FBI<\/a>
FBI Photo Image<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The defendants arrested this week are the latest of approximately 150 defendants who have been charged across the United States in what the Justice Department calls an unprecedented<\/a> explosion of unemployment insurance (UI) fraud over the past year, officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The defendants, in this case, are the following people: <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Sequoia Edwards, 35, of Moreno Valley, was arrested this morning after being charged with filing at least 27 fraudulent UI claims over two months last summer, at least six of which used personally identifiable information (PII) belonging to California prison inmates that she allegedly received from her incarcerated cousin. <\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, the EDD issued at least $455,000 in benefits intended to help individuals who were out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which did not apply to prison inmates. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>During the execution of a search warrant at Edwards\u2019 residence in February, the FBI recovered several debit cards issued by the EDD and $45,000 in cash, according to the affidavit in support of her criminal complaint. <\/span><\/p>\n

Edwards is expected to make her initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Riverside.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mireya Ramos, 42, of Colton, was arrested Thursday for allegedly filing at least 37 fraudulent UI claims, most of which were submitted in the names of inmates in the California prison system and many of which falsely stated the applicants were barbers who could not work due to the pandemic. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The affidavit in support of her criminal complaint states that Ramos obtained the inmates\u2019 PII from her long-time boyfriend, who is currently serving a life sentence in Calipatria State Prison. <\/span><\/p>\n

As a result of the fraudulent claims, the EDD, from June 2020 through January 2021, issued at least $353,532 in unemployment benefits. <\/span><\/p>\n

During a court appearance Thursday afternoon, Ramos was released on a $10,000 bond, and an arraignment was scheduled for May 4.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Paris Thomas, 33, of San Bernardino, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly filing approximately 49 fraudulent UI applications, at least 15 of which were filed in the names of people incarcerated in state prisons, a federal prison and county jails. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe 49 fraudulent UI claims mentioned above caused EDD to disburse over $440,000 in UI benefits from June 2020 to December 2020,\u201d according to the affidavit in support of Thomas\u2019 criminal complaint. <\/span><\/p>\n

During a search of Thomas\u2019 residence in February, the FBI seized EDD cards and a notebook filled with PII for more than 40 people, the affidavit notes. <\/span><\/p>\n

When she appeared in court on Wednesday, a United States magistrate judge released Thomas on a $10,000 bond and ordered her to appear for an arraignment on May 11.<\/span><\/p>\n

Discussing the fraudulent UI claims filed on behalf of state prisoners, the affidavits for all three defendants state \u201cDue to their custody status, the inmates listed as named claimants were not\u2026eligible to apply [for] UI benefits because they were not: (1) unemployed through no fault of their own; (2) able and available for work; and\/or (3) actively seeking work.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The charge of fraud in connection with emergency benefits carries a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison, and wire fraud carries a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0RIVERSIDE, California\u00a0 Federal authorities this week arrested three Inland Empire residents on fraud charges, officials stated. They allegedly used information belonging to California state prison inmates to file for pandemic-related unemployment benefits,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-department-of-justice"],"yoast_head":"\nThree Women Used Names of Prison Inmates to Get COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0RIVERSIDE, California\u00a0 Federal authorities this week arrested three Inland Empire residents on fraud charges, officials stated. They allegedly\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=42472\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three Women Used Names of Prison Inmates to Get COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0RIVERSIDE, California\u00a0 Federal authorities this week arrested three Inland Empire residents on fraud charges, officials stated. 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