The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today that numerous individuals have been charged in connection with a fraudulent $5 million California unemployment scheme. Two significant actors in this operation, David Constantin and Constantin Bobi Sandu, were accused of aiding hundreds of fraudulent unemployment applications during the pandemic, according to the DOJ's press release.
They employed social media platforms, including Facebook, to attract potentially fraudulent applicants, meeting them in Southern California parks to assist in application preparation. The defendants charged an initial fee from applicants and followed it up with another one upon receipt of the unemployment payments.
The operation reportedly ran from July 2020 through August 2022 and amassed almost $5.2 million. However, the fraud did not stay local. From July 2020 to August 2022, David Constantin transferred over $128,000 in fraud proceeds to associates in Romania. Similarly, Eduard Buse, a co-defendant, transferred nearly $129,000 to Romania over the same period. Buse additionally purchased the 2020 BMW X6 with over $105,000 in cash sourced from fraud back in December 2022 and later shipped it to Romania, as per the DOJ's statement.
Multiple agencies, including the FBI, have arrested several culprits. In Romania at the time of his arrest was David Constantin, who was apprehended with the help of Romanian authorities. The DOJ is currently seeking Constantin's extradition to the United States. Law enforcement officers in California and Texas have also arrested Eduard Buse and three others. However, nine other accused individuals are still at large.
