A person and lady from San Bernardino County have been arrested following a nine-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they obtained greater than $2.1 million in Covid-19 reduction funds.
Lisa Puente, 43, of Rialto, and Arthur Marquez, 53, have been arrested on Nov. 5 for allegedly submitting greater than 120 fraudulent functions for unemployment insurance coverage advantages utilizing stolen identities from California state prisoners and out of state victims.
They claimed of their functions that the victims used to stay and work in California when most victims didn’t stay in California.
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A person and lady from San Bernardino County have been arrested following a nine-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they obtained greater than $2.1 million in Covid-19 reduction funds. (iStock)
Prosecutors from the U.S. Division of Justice acknowledged in a press launch that they ran the scheme from Feb. 2020 to Aug. 2023.
“The fraudulent applications falsely stated that they were individuals whose employment had been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered eligibility for [unemployment insurance] benefits under federal law,” in keeping with the discharge.
Puente and Marquez used debit playing cards generated by the claims to withdraw the advantages from ATMs in addition to purchases from native companies.
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Puente and Marquez used debit playing cards generated by the claims to withdraw the advantages from ATMs in addition to buying gadgets from native companies. (Getty Photos)
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They’re presently charged with six counts of mail fraud, one rely of use of unauthorized entry units and one rely every of aggravated identification theft.
“If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each mail fraud count, up to 10 years in federal prison for the unauthorized access device count, and a mandatory two-year consecutive prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft count,” officers mentioned.
They’re each out on bond till their scheduled trial on Dec. 30.
