LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A Southern California woman who prosecutors say has obtained more than $ 500,000 in COVID-19 benefits using stolen Social Security numbers and other personal information pleaded guilty to a federal criminal charge on Wednesday.
Cara Marie Kirk-Connell, 32, admitted in a plea deal to purchase stolen identities through the “dark web” and watch YouTube videos of filing fraudulent unemployment claims, prosecutors said.
Kirk-Connell pleaded guilty to a single count of the use of an unauthorized access device in the US District Court in Los Angeles.
The Riverside County woman could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted in April, although federal sentencing guidelines typically call for less time behind bars.
As part of her plea with prosecutors, Kirk-Connell admitted that she purchased more than $ 500,000 debit cards from the California Employment Development Department using stolen personal information.
California EDD records showed that the cards and identities were used to obtain approximately $ 534,149 of COVID-19-related unemployment funds, nearly $ 270,000 of which had already been spent, according to an affidavit filed as part of the investigation.
The benefits are intended for distribution under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, passed by Congress in March.
That legislation extended unemployment benefits to business owners, the self-employed and independent contractors, who lost jobs or income during the coronavirus pandemic.
California is one of the hardest hit U.S. states in the latest COVID-19 wave, which has killed more than 300,000 people nationwide since the infections started spreading in March this year.
Lockdowns and corporate closures imposed by state and local leaders in response to the pandemic have left millions of Americans unemployed and shook the US economy.
Reporting by Dan Whitcomb, edited by Nick Zieminski