SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers on Thursday advanced what they called commonsense legislation requiring two state agencies to share information aimed at helping stop billions of dollars in pandemic-related unemployment fraud. The measure that cleared its first committee would require the beleaguered Employment Development Department to crosscheck unemployment applications with inmate...
Police Arrest 2 Accused of California Unemployment Fraud
SACRAMENTO — When police in California's capital city searched an apartment in mid-January, the most telling item they found wasn't the illegal assault weapons — it was a small red notebook filled with 55 names and their birthdays, Social Security numbers, usernames and passwords associated with accounts at the state's...
California: Criminal Rings Loot Billions in Jobless Funds
LOS ANGELES — Sophisticated hackers, identity thieves and overseas criminal rings stole over $11 billion in unemployment benefits from California last year, but the extent of the fraud might grow far larger: billions more in payments are under investigation. California Labor Secretary Julie Su told reporters in a conference call...
California Sees Suspicious Surge in Unemployment Claims
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is reporting a surge in coronavirus unemployment claims last week for independent contractors, gig workers and the self-employed — the category of benefits blamed for much of the state's fraudulent payments. The state last week received more than 110,800 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, an increase of...
Fresno Sheriff’s Office Warns of Concealed Weapons Permit Scam
The Fresno County Sheriff's Office warned concealed weapons permit holders about a nationwide text message scam on Monday. "Those targeted by the scam have received text messages alerting them that their permit needs to be renewed or changed and offers a link to provide the user's information," said Permitium, the...
Chowchilla Prison Pals Indicted for COVID Unemployment Fraud
A federal grand jury in Fresno indicted a Chowchilla prison inmate and a parolee Thursday on charges they fleeced taxpayers of hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 unemployment benefits. Sholanda Thomas, 36, who is an inmate at the Central California Women's Facility, and parolee Christina Smith, 37, are accused...
Local Assemblyman Calls State Unemployment Officials ‘Dimwitted Accomplices’ of Fraud
A Fresno assemblyman wants hearings and investigations after reported fraud of unemployment benefits. State and federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that the Employment Development Department paid out $40 million in claims to 20,000 state prison inmates across California. Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) didn't mince words during a media teleconference he held...
Over 40 Arrested for Fraud of California COVID Unemployment Benefits
Investigators unraveling an identity fraud scheme targeting California’s unemployment system have arrested 44 people in Beverly Hills this month alone, officials said Thursday. More arrests are expected as the California Employment Development Department and federal authorities investigate reports of people receiving unsolicited letters, some with debit cards, from the state’s...
Grand Jury Indicts Fresno Classic Car Restorer in $600K Fraud
A Fresno business owner was arraigned Wednesday for a scheme to defraud the customers of his classic car business, according to a Department of Justice news release. On Thursday, July 23, a federal grand jury in Fresno returned a 22-count indictment against Jeffrey Scott Hedges, 48, charging him with wire...
DA: Typo Tripped Up 'Dead' Man's Attempt to Avoid Jail
NEW YORK — A criminal defendant tried faking his death to avoid a jail sentence, but the phony death certificate his lawyer submitted had a glaring spelling error that made it a dead giveaway for a fraud, prosecutors said Tuesday. Robert Berger, 25, of Huntington, New York, now faces up...