A Las Vegas woman has pleaded guilty to fraudulently using a California Employment Development Department (EDD) unemployment insurance benefits debit card issued in another person's name. Deandra Michelle Smith, 39, admitted to conducting illegal transactions with access devices belonging to someone else. Her sentencing is set for February 19, 2025, before United States District Judge Jennifer Dorsey. Smith could face up to 35 years in prison.
Court documents reveal that around March or April 2020, Smith assisted a friend in filing for unemployment benefits with the California EDD. The friend later resumed employment in December 2020 and instructed Smith to cease the unemployment claim. However, Smith failed to inform the EDD, allowing benefits to continue being deposited into the account. From January 22, 2021, to August 17, 2021, she used over $16,100 from the debit card for personal expenses.
At the time of these offenses, Smith was on pretrial release after pleading guilty to similar charges involving a family member's personal information.
Quentin Heiden of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General stated: “Deandra Smith engaged in a scheme to defraud DOL’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) program by using a friend’s personally identifiable information to obtain UI benefits without the friend’s permission or consent."
The case was investigated by the DOL-OIG and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Frayn. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Quentin Heiden of the DOL-OIG.
In May 2021, the Attorney General established a COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force aimed at combating pandemic-related fraud through enhanced coordination across government agencies.
Reports of attempted COVID-19 related fraud can be made via phone or an online complaint form provided by the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline.