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A woman in Santa Clarita, California pleaded guilty for her role in a conspiracy to use other peoples information, without their consent, to unlawfully apply for and obtain over $250,000 in unemployment insurance benefits from California Employment Division Department (EDD).
Brittany Danielle Griesel, 38, and her co-conspirators submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance claims with the EDD using other people's personal information. EDD approved more than $250,000 in benefits for these fraudulent claims. During a traffic stop in Las Vegas, law enforcement discovered Griesel was in possession of $45,464 in fraudulent proceeds obtained as part of the conspiracy.
Griesel pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to effect illegal transactions with access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft. She faces a statutory maximum penalty of nine and a half years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or the NCDF web complaint form.