A San Diego woman's high-flying crime spree came to a halt after she was sentenced to over two-and-a-half years in prison for swiping stimulus payments and flushing the cash into luxury goodies, including a sleek Mercedes-Benz and glitzy jewelry. Alexandra Crystal Jackson, 32, got slapped with a 31-month sentence for her lavish spending spree, funded by the personal information of the homeless and detainees she exploited to snag Economic Impact Payments and benefits from the Golden State's Employment Development Department, the Department of Justice revealed yesterday.
Jackson, who had pleaded guilty on September 21, admitted she gathered the sensitive details from those often overlooked by society: the homeless and low-income individuals, as well as the caged souls in local detention facilities. She misused their information to line her pockets, directing payments to bank accounts she controlled, and went on to enjoy cash withdrawals, bedeck herself with jewelry, and cruise in a Mercedes-Benz G-Class 550 SUV, which the IRS would later seize. Her partner-in-crime, Demetrius Montre McFarland, 31, also copped to feeding Jackson the personal details while he was holed up in the Vista Detention Center, according to the DOJ.
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel threw the book at Jackson, hitting her with a restitution bill and ordering the preliminary forfeiture of the prized Mercedes-Benz. McFarland's sentencing isn't until March 5, 2024, when he'll face the music for his role in the stimulus check conspiracy, which carries a maximum of five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
The case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric R. Olah and Joseph Orabona, pulled back the curtain on a particularly devious heist designed to prey on programs meant to serve as a lifesaver for Californians amidst the pandemic's choppy waters. “These government programs were meant to help California residents get through the pandemic,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath stated. “They were not intended as a get-rich-quick scheme for criminals who want a Mercedes.” Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation's LA Field Office, didn't mince words, calling the actions "deplorable" and vowing commitment to rooting out and punishing such nefarious schemes, which, he ensured, would include taking back any ill-gotten gains to bring solace to the communities wronged.
