A California man is headed to prison after admitting to unemployment insurance fraud to the tune of more than $170,000.
Kier Jordan Parker, 25, fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits by submitting multiple unemployment claims in other people’s names and using benefits debit cards that didn’t belong to him, according to the Department of Justice.
According to the Justice Department, the scheme was discovered when Parker and co-conspirator Robert Devon Barber were stopped in Las Vegas for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, police officers discovered 12 California Employment Development Department (EDD) unemployment insurance benefits debit cards issued in other people’s names, along with ATM receipts showing the cards had been used to make withdrawals totaling $7,400 in Nevada and California.
Investigation revealed that at least $249,460 in unemployment benefits was approved for claims associated with the 12 cards, and more than $170,715 was obtained from accounts associated with those cards, including $148,400 in ATM withdrawals and $22,315.78 in purchases.
Parker has been sentenced to 30 months in prison and a further three years of supervised release.
