LOS ANGELES – (INT) – A Victorville woman admitted Monday January 23rd to fraudulently obtaining more than $500,000 in COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.

Cynthia Ann Hernandez, 33, a.k.a. “Cynthia Roberts,” filed 29 bogus applications with the EDD during a 2-year period in 2020.

Federal prosecutors say she used the names of persons incarcerated in California state prisons.

EDD then authorized Bank of America to issue debit cards in the claimants’ names and were mailed to Hernandez. She used them to withdraw cash at ATMs.

Story Date: January 30, 2023