or. Published in The Sacramento Bee from May 1, 2021 to May 8, 2021. “While specific details cannot be shared at this time at the risk of jeopardizing investigations, recent schemes have triggered multiple mail items with different names sent to addresses throughout the state.”. It’s one of the most frequently asked questions The Sacramento Bee has heard as the 2021 tax season gets under way. About the time Pennsylvania authorities were announcing the first round of indictments, the U.S. Labor Department was again urging the states to be vigilant — and citing once again the value of cross-checking Social Security numbers. On Oct. 21, a federal watchdog agency still saw problems with fraud throughout the country. McConnell is one of America’s most disliked politicians. Cross-checking doesn’t appear to be a foolproof way to prevent fraud. He’s been writing, editing and teaching for nearly 50 years, with stops in Hagerstown, Riverside, Calif., … The scandal largely involves the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, created by Congress in March through the CARES Act as a unique way to provide unemployment benefits to people who historically could not qualify for such payments, such as business owners and independent contractors. Phone lines still jammed, How liberal is Alex Padilla, California’s new US Senator? California, though, was one of 15 states that did not follow one of the key pieces of advice — to cross-check Social Security numbers with prison inmate records — until it may have been too late. Dec. 2—Good morning and happy Wednesday! AP Entertainment Writers. Thousands of Pennsylvania prisoners carried out a pandemic assistance fraud scheme similar to California’s, raking in an estimated $100 million, officials announced in late August. To get access to this and the rest of SacBee.com, subscribe or Soon after they began doling out billions in aid last spring to those who lost their jobs to the COVID-19 pandemic, federal officials warned the states that the money represented a jackpot waiting to be looted. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Armen Najarian of Agari Data, a Foster City consulting firm, said the fraud group, known as Scattered Canary, used stolen Social Security numbers to apply for benefits for thousands. ... David Lightman is McClatchy’s chief congressional correspondent. States could use the money for staff or contract services “to conduct fraud investigations and other fraud detection-related activities, and to implement tools to increase prevention, detection and recovery of fraudulent improper payments in the PUA and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs.”, Labor said states were to work with its Employment and Training Administration and the Unemployment Insurance Integrity Center to “use these resources to address fraud aggressively in these programs.”. It surveyed 45 states, including California, and found states routinely had problems with fraud because of, among other reasons, the PUA self-certification system. Jump to. Are you a subscriber and unable to read this article? This California Republican voted to impeach Trump. This article is subscriber-only content. See more of The Sacramento Bee on Facebook. Claims reached unprecedented levels, lawmakers applied pressure to get benefits out quickly, and constituents often complained they could not get help quickly enough, if at all. By David Lightman and Dale Kasler. sacbee.com - David Lightman • 20h A month after Rep. David Valadao was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump, his political action committee gave … The Sacramento Bee FEBRUARY 12, 2020 | JALOPNIK | by Jason Torchinsky. sacbee.com - David Lightman • 19h A month after Rep. David Valadao was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump, his political action committee gave … The Sacramento Bee It also warned it “believes states’ reliance on self-certifications alone to ensure eligibility for PUA will lead to increased improper payments and fraud.”. It was only when served with a subpoena from federal investigators that the state prison system was able to surrender the inmates’ data, enabling investigators to conduct their own cross-check of prison rolls with jobless claims, this source said. Gavin Newsom stood before the people of California and proclaimed he’d take bold steps to fix the state’s overwhelmed unemployment claim system. How Kamala Harris made history as Joe Biden’s vice president The Sacramento Bee David Lightman, McClatchyDC . and learn more. Thanks for reading! Read More. EDD mailed the accomplices the benefits, in the form of prepaid debit cards, and the accomplices cashed out the cards, took a pre-arranged cut for themselves, and sent the rest to the inmates via money orders. The … To enjoy this article and more, please subscribe or Press alt + / to open this menu. Fresno County District Attorney Lisa A. Smittcamp said she believes that halted much of the fraudulent behavior, although it remains uncertain if inmates are still cheating the system. Because the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation relies on a Department of Justice database to verify inmates’ Social Security numbers, it couldn’t share that information with agencies outside law enforcement, such as EDD, according to a Newsom administration official not authorized to speak publicly. In his letter to the DA’s, Newsom pushed back on suggestions that he dragged his feet, saying the state took steps as early as September to “deter and eliminate fraudulent claims.” He didn’t elaborate on those steps, but in early September EDD announced it was investigating reports of possible fraud. David Lightman is McClatchy’s chief congressional correspondent. David Lightman is McClatchy’s chief congressional correspondent. The Winklevoss twins' Gemini exchange now lets you earn interest on your dogecoin . Participants will include officials from the state Department of Technology, California Highway Patrol, EDD and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. December 03, 2020 05:00 AM Soon after they began doling out billions in aid last spring to those who lost their jobs to the COVID-19 pandemic, federal officials warned the states that the money represented a jackpot waiting to be looted. Gavin Newsom and the state’s Employment Development Department, which manages the unemployment program, for not implementing a cross-checking system like that used in 35 other states. This byline is for a different person with the same name. When Gov. Opinion: The president is lying about the election. They can request on-demand public shuttles via their phone in the Arden, … “It has become a powerful prevention tool,” the association said. David Lightman is McClatchy’s chief congressional correspondent. The report reiterated the value of cross-checking, saying it “strongly recommends states use cross-matching with state and national databases,” such as the Social Security Administration. Smittcamp is still concerned that not enough is being done. Accessibility Help. He said the Nigerian scam doesn’t appear to have any connection to the fraud that was perpetrated in California’s prisons. 2020 Financial State of the Cities. Sacramento Bee reporters Tony Bizjak, Benjy Egel, Dale Kasler, Sawsan Morrar, Phillip Reese, Darrell Smith and Sam Stanton; and McClatchyDC reporter David Lightman … “An unprecedented volume of claims and the short timeframe to implement the PUA program under the CARES Act have contributed to the risk of improper payments and fraud,” the Labor Department Inspector General said in its report. 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