Seaside Fraudster Pleads Guilty to $567K Unemployment Benefit Theft

PORTLAND, Ore. — In a chilling case of financial fraud, Tamara Fulmer, 47, from Seaside, Oregon, has pleaded guilty to swindling over $567,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits. The audacious theft involved the fraudulent use of personal information of 27 individuals to apply for UI benefits between May 2020 and October 2021.

Fulmer, who cashed numerous UI checks into her own account, was caught after depositing at least $68,773 worth of checks. The Oregon Employment Department (OED) also paid an additional $13,353 to Fulmer based on a fraudulent application where she claimed not to have applied for disability, despite receiving such payments since 2004.

On February 19, 2025, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Fulmer on one count of Theft of Government Property. She faces up to ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. The sentencing is scheduled for February 18, 2026.

As part of the plea agreement, Fulmer has agreed to forfeit her ill-gotten gains and pay $581,283 in restitution, as recommended by the government. This case was jointly investigated by federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Labor, Homeland Security, and Social Security Administration.

Meredith D.M. Bateman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, prosecuted the case. For those with information on similar frauds, the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 is available, or you can file a complaint online via this form.