21 inmates at Monterey County Jail indicted in EDD fraud investigation
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) The Monterey County District Attorney's Office says 29 people have been indicted as part of an investigation into pandemic-related unemployment fraud, and 21 of them were in custody at the Monterey County Jail at the time of the alleged fraud.
The DA's Office said the 21 inmates applied for and received unemployment insurance while in custody, and the other 8 people were not in custody but "conspired with the inmates to commit fraud." Out of everyone indicted, 12 reportedly have previous serious or violent felony convictions.
All 29 people are charged with felonies that include conspiracy, making fraudulent statements in unemployment insurance applications and money laundering.
The DA's Office reports that the total fraud in the case amounts to more than $360,000.
The people indicted by the grand jury are identified as:
- Daniel Lee Rosbach, age 29 of Salinas
- Heather Louise Rosbach, age 33 of Castroville
- Luciano Ramirez, age 34 of Salinas
- Mayra Rodriguez Guzman, age 29 of Salinas
- Davian Derrell Jones, age 29 of Lancaster
- Jeraline Diana Jones, age 27 of Lancaster
- Diondre Lamon Rodriguez, age 49 of Seaside
- Shayna Dawn Kisling-Bowman, age 42 of Marina
- Daniel Michael Birchell, age 34 of Monterey
- Amanda Kari Marie Agloro, age 33 of Seaside
- Justin Allen Casey, age 32 of Seaside
- Rafael Valencia, age 25 of Salinas
- Rubie Marie Jimenez, age 32 of Soledad,
- Tracy Dyan Rhodes, age 34 of Salinas
- Daniel Aaron Contreras, age 28 of Brisbane
- Andrew Magana, age 32 of Salinas
- Kevin Anthony Hall, age 28 of Marina
- Josephine G Hall, age 52 of Marina
- Michael Eugene Fuller, age 23 of Fresno
- Christian Isaiah Foster, age 22 of Fresno
- Amber Dawn Umbarger, age 40 of Los Osos
- Brian Zuniga, age 26 of King City
- Antonio DeLuna, age 22 of Salians
- Arcadio Benito Perezruiz, age 25 of Salinas
- Ralph Salvador Apodaca, age 40 of Salinas
- Oscar Benitez, age 22 of Salinas
- Javier Morales Vaca, age 42 of Watsonville
- Adrien Olivas, age 34 of Salinas
- Tirrell Deshaun Butler, age 32 of Stockton
The California Employment Development Department (EDD) reportedly responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by not using many application vetting practices, according to the DA's Office, and as a result, many people fraudulently applied for benefits they were not eligible to receive.
Last July, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office and Salinas Police Department learned that inmates at the jail were applying for and receiving unemployment benefits while they were in custody, but people in jail or prison are not considered available to work, so they are not eligible for unemployment assistance.
Several of the people who were indicted are expected to be arraigned Wednesday.
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