Bonia Bon, Unemployment Fraud, California 2021

LOS ANGELES – Three South Florida women are headed to federal prison after admitting to a brazen scheme that ripped off the California Employment Development Department (EDD). Bonia Bon, 32, of North Miami, her twin sister Bonize Bon, 32, also of North Miami, and Eldia Dieujuste, 32, of Miami, each received one year and one day in prison Monday after pleading guilty to mail fraud. They stole from Californians who *needed* help.

The trio wasn’t after a few bucks; they attempted to fraudulently obtain at least $494,190 in unemployment benefits between January 2018 and June 2019. Prosecutors slammed their actions in a sentencing memorandum, noting they targeted “monies that were intended to be used to help persons who had lost their jobs through no fault of their own.” They exploited the EDD’s efforts to streamline the application process for struggling workers, turning good intentions into a criminal enterprise.

The scheme was simple, but effective. The women used the personal information of California identity theft victims to file bogus unemployment claims. Crucially, they directed the benefits to their own addresses in Florida. This ensured the debit cards – granting access to $104,570 in stolen funds – arrived directly into their hands. Surveillance footage from ATMs later caught Bonia Bon and Bonize Bon withdrawing the fraudulently obtained benefits in cold, hard cash.

U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder didn’t just hand down the prison sentences. She also ordered each woman to pay $104,570 in restitution to the California EDD, a small step toward repaying the damage they inflicted. While the women are facing consequences, the full extent of the harm to the victims whose identities were stolen remains unknown. The EDD has been particularly vulnerable to fraud schemes in recent years, overwhelmed by a surge in claims during the pandemic.

This wasn’t a solo operation. Gregory Bon, 29, of Miami, and brother to the twin sisters, is still facing charges of conspiracy and mail fraud related to the scheme. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial before Judge Snyder on December 14th. Federal investigators from the Department of Labor – Office of the Inspector General, EDD’s Investigations Division, Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Secret Service all contributed to the investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Ranee A. Katzenstein, Chief of the Major Frauds Section, is prosecuting the case. As with all criminal cases, the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This case serves as a stark reminder that exploiting vital social safety nets carries serious federal consequences.

Related Federal Cases