{"id":51944,"date":"2023-01-23T16:50:33","date_gmt":"2023-01-24T00:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=51944"},"modified":"2023-01-23T16:50:33","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T00:50:33","slug":"woman-used-prison-inmates-names-to-illegal-obtain-500000-in-covid-jobless-relief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=51944","title":{"rendered":"Woman Used Prison Inmates’ Names to Illegal Obtain $500,000 in COVID Jobless Relief"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0LOS ANGELES<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"A San Bernardino County woman pleaded guilty Monday to fraudulently obtaining more than $500,000 in COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance (UI) benefits by using the names of inmates locked up the California state prison system, authorities stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cynthia Ann Hernandez, 33, a.k.a. \u201cCynthia Roberts,\u201d of Victorville, plead guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of access device fraud over $1,000, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 According to her plea agreement, from June 2020 to August 2020, Hernandez filed with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) fraudulent applications for UI benefits in the names of persons incarcerated in the California state prison system. <\/span><\/p>\n

EDD manages California\u2019s unemployment insurance benefit program.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \"\"Hernandez falsely stated on the UI benefits applications that the named claimants were individuals whose employment had been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and were eligible for pandemic unemployment assistance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.<\/span><\/p>\n

Congress passed the CARES Act in March 2020, in part, to help individuals whose employment and finances were adversely affected by the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The applications also falsely stated that the named claimants were eligible for the UI benefits and that they resided and worked in Los Angeles and Orange counties. EDD then authorized Bank of America to issue debit cards in the claimants\u2019 names and were mailed to Hernandez\u2019s mailing address. <\/span><\/p>\n

Once Hernandez received the debit cards, she used them to withdraw cash at ATMs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In total, Hernandez admitted to causing at least 29 fraudulent applications to be filed with EDD, resulting in losses to EDD and the United States Treasury of approximately $515,138.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi scheduled an April 17 sentencing hearing. Hernandez is facing up to 20 years in federal prison for the mail fraud count and up to 15 years in federal prison for the access device fraud count.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The United States Department of Labor investigated this matter \u2013 Office of Inspector General; the California Employment Development Department \u2013 Investigation Division; Homeland Security Investigations; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the United States Department of Homeland Security \u2013 Office of Inspector General; the United States Postal Inspection Service; and United States Customs and Border Protection \u2013 Special Response Team.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Assistant United States Attorney Haoxiaohan Cai of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0LOS ANGELES\u00a0 A San Bernardino County woman pleaded guilty Monday to fraudulently obtaining more than $500,000 in COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance (UI) benefits by using the names of inmates locked up the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3255],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-federal-court"],"yoast_head":"\nWoman Used Prison Inmates' Names to Illegal Obtain $500,000 in COVID Jobless Relief<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u00a0LOS ANGELES\u00a0 A San Bernardino County woman pleaded guilty Monday to fraudulently obtaining more than $500,000 in COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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