Citrus Heights residents Deshawn Oshaea Campbell, 38, and Rochelle Pasley, 35, faced justice today as they were sentenced to seven years and three months and five years and five months respectively for their $1 million unemployment insurance benefits fraud scheme. The pair was ordered to pay a staggering $1,157,000 in restitution. Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced the sentences.
Between June 2020 and December 2020, Campbell and Pasley hatched a plan to defraud the California Employment Development Department (EDD) by filing fraudulent unemployment claims under the CARES Act’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. They acquired personal information of unsuspecting individuals, using it to file scores of false claims on their behalf. These claims falsely stated that the victims had lost jobs or were unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, many of these ‘victims’ did not even live in California, making them ineligible for the benefits they claimed. The defendants used addresses under their control and those of friends and family to facilitate the fraud. As a result, EDD approved over 50 fraudulent claims and issued Bank of America debit cards containing the fraudulently obtained benefits.
The duo then cashed out these benefits from ATMs across California and made purchases for personal gain. Their scheme reaped more than $1 million in stolen funds. ‘These defendants stole from our nation’s unemployment insurance program, exploiting a time when so many workers were struggling,’ said Quentin Heiden, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
In addition to their UI fraud convictions, Campbell pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony. The investigation leading to their downfall was a collaboration between the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, and the EDD – Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Delaney and Justin Lee prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force operation, an interagency task force dedicated to combating large-scale pandemic relief fraud. The strike force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources to target criminal organizations and transnational actors responsible for theft of pandemic relief funds.
Related Federal Cases
- Mark Wittenmyer and Four Others Hit With 52-Count Fraud Indictment · Michigan
- Stockton Woman Faces 21 Fraud Counts in Unemployment and Tax Scams · California
- Artful Dodge: Medicare Fraud Case Closed · Pennsylvania
- Tax Fixer Gets 18 Months for $1.2M Fraud Scheme · Alaska
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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