California sent about $400 million in fraudulent unemployment benefit payments to state prisoners. That was nearly triple the amount disclosed last week and a number that officials said could grow as a criminal investigation continues.
Nine county district attorneys and a federal prosecutor are investigating unemployment fraud involving payments from the California Employment Development Department, which was under intense pressure to quickly process millions of claims as the economic impact from the coronavirus intensified last spring.
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office confirmed last week that inmates at the Monterey County Jail may be some of those involved in the fraud, and the DA’s Office is a few months into the investigation.
