RIVERSIDE, California — San Bernardino County residents, Lisa Puente, 43, of Rialto, and Arthur Marquez, 53, of San Bernardino, have been indicted for fraudulently claiming over $2.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds. More than 120 fake unemployment insurance applications were submitted to the California Employment Development Department (EDD).

Reportedly from February 2020 to August 2023, Puente and Marquez used stolen identities to submit fraudulent applications, falsely claiming that individuals’ employment was adversely affected by the pandemic. This false claim targeted federally supported unemployment benefits as fallout from the pandemic. Eight charges were leveled against the defendants—six counts of mail fraud, unauthorized access device use, and aggravated identity theft.

The fraudulent applications led to Bank of America issuing debit cards for cash withdrawals and purchases, resulting in losses of around $2,136,768 to the EDD and the United States Treasury. Consequently, Puente and Marquez might face up to 20 years in federal prison for each mail fraud count, up to 10 years for the unauthorized access device count, and an obligatory two-year consecutive sentence for aggravated identity theft. The investigation includes several agencies, including the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the California Employment Development Department Investigation Division, and Homeland Security Investigations. While the arrangement implies that the defendants have committed a crime, all defendants are presumed as innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If you believe you have been a victim of such fraud, or you have urgent inquiries related to your unemployment benefits, it’s crucial to know how to get a hold of EDD to resolve the issue promptly. This can be done via the EDD’s phone number or by going online to eddcaller.com for streamlined contact methods and more extensive customer service. This website is a valuable resource that can provide the fastest way for you to get through to EDD and address your concerns efficiently.