LOS ANGELES – A former Amtrak employee, Lizette Berrios Lathon, 48, of Moreno Valley, has been sentenced to 25 months in federal prison for her role in a scheme that defrauded unemployment benefits out of nearly $1 million during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lathon was also ordered by United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin to pay $1,061,667 in restitution. She pleaded guilty in November 2022 to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud.
The sentencing comes after Lathon’s husband, Kenneth Andrew Lathon, 50, was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for his part in the scheme. He was also ordered to pay $998,630 in restitution and pleaded guilty to similar charges including unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Between 2014 and September 2022, Lizette Lathon operated at least three tax preparation businesses, using them as a platform to obtain personal information from former clients to file fraudulent unemployment applications. She falsely claimed inflated incomes for these individuals to maximize their benefits, despite many having never lived in California.
During the conspiracy, Lathon and her husband caused at least 44 fraudulent unemployment claims, resulting in losses of approximately $998,630 to the Employment Development Department (EDD) and the U.S. Treasury. Additionally, Lathon schemed to defraud the Railroad Retirement Board by filing forged and false sickness benefit claims, obtaining nearly $63,000.
These cases were investigated by multiple federal agencies, including the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, the United States Railroad Retirement Board Office of Inspector General, and the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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