{"id":57940,"date":"2024-11-25T21:18:58","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T05:18:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=57940"},"modified":"2024-11-25T21:20:55","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T05:20:55","slug":"ceo-of-non-profit-mentoring-services-to-public-school-students-guilty-of-illegally-getting-covid-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=57940","title":{"rendered":"CEO of Non-Profit Mentoring Services to Public School Students Guilty of Illegally Getting COVID Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"A South Bay man who provided lifestyle and personal development coaching to students in public schools through a nonprofit he founded pleaded guilty Monday to fraudulently applying for millions of dollars in COVID-19 jobless benefits, including by using stolen identities, officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reginald Foster Jr., 38, of the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bank fraud, and one count of use of unauthorized access devices.<\/span><\/p>\n

Foster admitted in court today that, from June 2020 to October 2020, he conspired with others to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), a law Congress passed in March 2020 to help individuals and businesses deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Foster exploited the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) provision of the CARES Act, which is designed to expand access to unemployment benefits to self-employed workers, independent contractors, and others who would not otherwise have been eligible because of the pandemic. <\/span><\/p>\n

The California Employment Development Department (EDD) administers the state\u2019s unemployment insurance program, which included the PUA provision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Foster admitted that he and his co-conspirators filed fraudulent applications for benefits in the names of people who had not authorized him to do so, using the identity theft victims\u2019 personal identification information without their permission. <\/span><\/p>\n

Foster included false information on the applications to ensure that EDD would approve the applications and send the debit cards through which the benefits were dispersed to a mailing address he used. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"TwoIn total, Foster and his co-conspirators submitted 118 fraudulent applications as part of the scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n

Foster used the debit cards to make transfers to his Long-Beach-based non-profit, Champs Up! LLC, which Foster has said provides guidance programs to middle school students in Los Angeles and Long Beach. <\/span><\/p>\n

Foster also used the cards to make multiple $1,000 withdrawals at ATMs. He then transferred the cards to co-conspirators, who used them to make further ATM withdrawals. <\/span><\/p>\n

Foster and his co-conspirators were able to withdraw almost $1.5 million of the benefits. EDD and Bank of America froze the remaining benefits as soon as the scheme was uncovered, preventing further losses of more than $4 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi scheduled a March 24\u00a0<\/b>sentencing hearing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Foster will face up to 40 years in prison for he conspiracy count and the unauthorized access devices count.<\/span><\/p>\n

Foster remains free on a $50,000 bond.<\/span><\/p>\n

Co-defendants Shelece Counts, 31, of the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles; and Isaiah Herbert Lawrence, 31, of Houston, Texas, have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in this case and are scheduled to go to trial on January 21, 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/a>The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the California Employment Development Department, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated this matter. <\/span><\/p>\n

Assistant United States Attorney Ranee A. Katzenstein of the Criminal Appeals Section is prosecuting this case.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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