A Santa Clarita woman pleaded guilty to unemployment benefits fraud.
On Tuesday, 38-year-old Brittany Danielle Griesel admitted to illegally using other people’s personal information without their consent to apply for and receive unemployment insurance benefits from the California Employment Development Department (EDD), reports radio station KHTS.
The news was announced by Christopher Chiou, the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada, and Quentin Heiden, the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
According to reports, the woman ended up getting more than $250,000 in benefits, which Griesel and her co-scammers used to buy personal items and services. The woman was caught after police pulled her over during a traffic stop. “During a traffic stop in Las Vegas on Aug. 8, 2020, law enforcement discovered Griesel was in the possession of $45,464 in fraudulent proceeds obtained as part of the conspiracy,” officials said.
The radio station reports that one count of conspiracy to effect illegal transactions with access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft were listed in her guilty plea. A judge could sentence the woman to serve nine to and a half years in prison. In addition, she may be ordered to pay a $250,000 fine.
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