Sequoia Edwards, Unemployment Benefits Fraud, California 2023

RIVERSIDE, California – Federal authorities have arrested a 35-year-old Inland Empire resident on fraud charges alleging she used information belonging to California state prison inmates to file for pandemic-related unemployment benefits.

Sequoia Edwards, 35, of Moreno Valley, was arrested this morning after being charged with filing at least 27 fraudulent UI claims over two months last summer, at least six of which used personally identifiable information (PII) belonging to California prison inmates that she allegedly received from her incarcerated cousin.

As a result, the EDD issued at least $455,000 in benefits intended to help individuals who were out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which did not apply to prison inmates. During the execution of a search warrant at Edwards’ residence in February, the FBI recovered several debit cards issued by the EDD and $45,000 in cash, according to the affidavit in support of her criminal complaint.

Edwards, who faces two counts – fraud in connection with emergency benefits and wire fraud – is expected to make her initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Riverside.

With the three cases announced today, prosecutors in the Central District of California have now charged a dozen defendants with fraudulently obtaining enhanced unemployment benefits implemented during the pandemic. The defendants arrested this week are the latest of approximately 150 defendants who have been charged across the United States in what the Justice Department calls an explosion of unemployment insurance (UI) fraud over the past year.

This week’s arrests are the result of investigations conducted by the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Investigators with the California Employment Development Department (EDD), which administers the UI program in California, provided substantial assistance.

Sequoia Edwards, 35, of Moreno Valley, California, has been charged with fraud in connection with emergency benefits and wire fraud. Her current status is arrested on March 29, 2023 in Riverside, California. The total amount of losses caused by Edwards is at least $455,000.

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