Regina Brice, a former employee at the California Employment Development Department (EDD), was sentenced to 66 months in prison for her involvement in a bribery and mail fraud scheme. Brice used her position at the EDD to file $858,339 in fraudulent unemployment claims, diverting funds intended for pandemic-impacted individuals.
The fraudulent activities took place between July 2020 and May 2021 while Brice was responsible for processing COVID-related unemployment claims. Brice manipulated the unemployment claims system to benefit her co-conspirators, including directing California prison inmates on how to evade system checks. In return, she received bribes.
Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden remarked, "This defendant turned her back on the oath of her office and those she was supposed to help during a once-in-a-century pandemic. Today she is being held accountable for her greed.”
Quentin Heiden from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) commented, “Brice violated the public trust afforded to her as an EDD employee to enrich herself and others. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard the integrity of the UI program for those who need it.”
Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., DHS Inspector General, emphasized the importance of tackling pandemic-related fraud, stating, “Regina Brice defrauded government programs meant to help Americans at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. DHS OIG will continue to prioritize pandemic-related fraud investigations.”
Matt Shields, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Los Angeles, highlighted the breach of trust caused by Brice’s actions: “The exploitation of vulnerable individuals’ personal information for nearly a million dollars in fraudulent gains, facilitated by an EDD employee’s corruption, is a betrayal of public trust.”
Authorities encourage individuals with information about COVID-19-related fraud to contact the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud.
Prosecution of the case was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald Sou.