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San Jose Woman Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Unemployment Benefits Fraud
Pamela Emanuel, 58, of San Jose, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. to 6 years and 3 months in prison for her role in a scheme to defraud the State of California by filing false unemployment insurance claims.
According to court documents, Emanuel worked as a tax compliance representative for the California Employment Development Department (EDD) and used her position to access the personal identifying information of workers throughout California. The conspirators, including Emanuel, used that information to file fraudulent unemployment claims in the names of the unknowing victims.
The conspirators filed at least 269 false claims seeking over $2.4 million in fraudulent benefits, with the EDD’s actual overpayment being approximately $887,199.
Emanuel’s sentence is the latest in a series of convictions related to this scheme. On August 16, 2018, Brittany Maunakea, 30, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and ordered to pay approximately $139,000 in restitution. On September 20, 2018, Sergio Doriante Sanchez Reyna, 26, was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison and ordered to pay approximately $436,000 in restitution.
The case is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the California Employment Development Department, Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schuller Hitchcock is prosecuting the case.
“Pamela Emanuel conspired to file fraudulent unemployment insurance claims, diverting vital taxpayer resources away from those in dire need of unemployment benefits. Protecting the integrity of the unemployment insurance program remains one of our highest priorities, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard the unemployment benefits for those who need it, especially during this critical time,” said Quentin Heiden, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Los Angeles Region.
Pamela Emanuel must also pay $773,733 in restitution as part of her sentence. Her co-conspirators, including Gregory Lee, who was sentenced to 9 years in prison and ordered to pay approximately $353,000 in restitution, and Russell White III, who was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison and ordered to pay approximately $212,000 in restitution, have also been held accountable for their roles in the scheme.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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