A group of five individuals, including a California Highway Patrol dispatcher and her spouse, are now facing charges in a $3.3 million scheme that involved collecting COVID-19 unemployment benefits fraudulently. The indictment, unsealed on Thursday according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, outlines the alleged conspiracy to use stolen identities to apply for jobless benefits meant for those unemployed due to the pandemic.
Included in the indictment are Erica Abson Robins, a 57-year-old California Highway Patrol dispatcher, and her husband Ronald Lee Robins, 62, who was incarcerated at the time of the alleged crimes. The defendants supposedly employed personal information, such as names and Social Security numbers, to file fraudulent unemployment applications, some of which were for children under the age of 18, and inmates who were not eligible for such benefits.
The justice department's announcement detailed that Janet Clarise Gloria Theus, 44, and her mother Diane Clarise Theus, 78, alongside Dailen Spears, 24, were part of the scheme that ran from April 2020 to July 2022. The group reportedly utilized at least 293 applications in the scam, which resulted in payouts of around $3.3 million, including for illegitimate claims for minors and prisoners.
As part of the fraudulent activities, Erica Robins is alleged to have used her access as a dispatcher to pull personal information from a law enforcement database for an inmate at the California Men’s Colony State Prison. This move was an integral part of the apparatus that saw money flow into the accounts they had masterminded, and from which Janet Theus and Diane Theus withdrew funds at ATMs noted the indictment.
The alleged crime could bring serious consequences with the possibility of each bank fraud-related count carrying up to 30 years in federal prison, and a maximum of 10 years for unlawful use of unauthorized access devices. The reported scheme brings attention to the broader efforts of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, established by the Attorney General, which works to combat pandemic-related fraud. Those with information regarding COVID-19-related fraud attempts are encouraged to reach out to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud.
