Tracy woman pleads guilty in million-dollar EDD fraud scheme, faces 20 years in prison
By Harika Maddala
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TRACY, California (KCRA) — A Tracy woman pleaded guilty to scamming more than $1 million worth of unemployment claims, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Kaymeisha Keyes, 32, defrauded the California Employment Development Department by filling over 70 unemployment insurance claims between 2020 and 2021, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California.
Prosecutors said Keyes collected personally identifiable information such as several names, birth dates, and social security numbers and filed the claims, seeking Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and other benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Through a partnership with ID.me, a private company, EDD can verify the identity of claimants before actually processing any claims. Prosecutors said Keyes was able to verify fake identities through submitting false information.
“She also submitted photos of herself and co-schemers that were used to verify the photos on the fake driver’s license,” prosecutors said.
This led to the EDD approving dozens of Keyes’ claims and approved Bank of America to mail out EDD debit cards to various addresses, including her residence in Tracy, the release read. She then activated those cards and used them for herself.
EDD and the United States lost more than $1 million in unemployment benefits, but prosecutors said Keyes’ scheme intended to reap more than double what was actually taken.
Keyes is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the count of wire fraud. She also pleaded guilty to a count of aggravated identity theft.
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