Cash on display at a press conference at Framingham (Massachusetts) Police headquarters April 13, 2023 detailing a state wide drug bust.
San Diego, California – A former California Employment Development Department (EDD) worker has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for orchestrating a massive unemployment fraud scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regina Brice, 43, of San Diego, was handed a 66-month prison sentence on Friday after pleading guilty to mail fraud. Prosecutors say she used her position at the EDD to file more than $850,000 in fraudulent unemployment claims in exchange for bribes—stealing money intended to help those economically impacted by the pandemic.
Brice had been with the EDD since 2010, and as a program representative, she was responsible for processing pandemic-related unemployment claims. However, between July 2020 and May 2021, she exploited her employee access to manipulate claims for co-conspirators, including California prison inmates. She also advised them on how to withdraw funds undetected, bypassing fraud-checking systems used by banks, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Brice violated the public trust afforded to her as an EDD employee to enrich herself and others,” said Quentin Heiden, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG). “This sentencing demonstrates our commitment to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in government programs.”
Federal investigators uncovered that Brice not only facilitated false claims but also actively coached her co-conspirators on evading detection. The fraudulent claims totaled $858,339—money that should have gone to struggling workers during one of the most economically devastating periods in recent history.
“Regina Brice defrauded government programs meant to help Americans at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari. “We will continue to prioritize pandemic-related fraud investigations and work with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice.”
Matt Shields, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Los Angeles Division, emphasized the severity of the crime, calling it a “betrayal of public trust.”
“The exploitation of vulnerable individuals’ personal information for nearly a million dollars in fraudulent gains, facilitated by an EDD employee’s corruption, is unacceptable,” Shields said. “I commend the relentless efforts of our inspectors in bringing this case to a close.”
Brice’s sentencing is part of a broader crackdown on pandemic-related fraud, which saw billions of taxpayer dollars stolen through fraudulent unemployment claims. Authorities continue to investigate similar cases and encourage the public to report suspected fraud.
