By City News Service
Jan 29, 2021
IRVINE (CNS) - An investigation into illegal street racing in Irvine led to the arrests of five men accused of planning and taking part in multiple street races last year, authorities announced today.
The six-month investigation focused on racing occurring on the 241 and 261 Toll Roads, which wind along Irvine s borders and connect near the mountainous Irvine Regional Park.
The men, who were arrested Tuesday, are accused of meeting to discuss and participate in multiple illegal races between January and May 2020, according to the Orange County District Attorney s Office and Irvine Police Department.
“Orange County roads are not raceways designed to accommodate illegal street races of speeds reaching 160 miles per hour, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said.
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA
OC’s DA charges 10 suspects, including murderers, for stealing $500,000 in all in coronavirus unemployment claims [The Orange County Register]
Jan. 25 Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer on Monday, Jan. 25, announced three criminal cases involving $500,000-plus in fraudulent unemployment claims while urging a “massive response” by state officials to a suspected wave of theft across the state of money meant for those out of work because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 10 suspects include two men accused of opening a Garden Grove business in order to file false unemployment claims, as well as an Anaheim tax preparer and an Irvine woman accused of helping prisoners, including convicted murderers, improperly receive unemployment benefits.
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Three new fraud cases in California s EDD scandal are just the tip of the iceberg, says Laguna Beach Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris. (Photo: Jeff Walters)
LAGUNA BEACH, CA Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced three cases including two that involved convicted murderers of defrauding the state s unemployment program during the COVID-19 pandemic the eve of hearings in Sacramento on Tuesday to address how to tackle the thefts.
The three cases are unrelated but part of a rash of unemployment fraud that has touched off hearings in Sacramento led by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Laguna Beach. It is beyond disturbing, Spitzer said of the fraud. People should be very, very upset and angry about this. I m very angry about this.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer was joined by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris at a press conference this morning to announce the prosecution of two business owners who opened up a Garden Grove storefront with the sole purpose of filing false unemployment claims with the state of California for people who did not qualify in order to steal taxpayer dollars intended to help those out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly $500,000 in cash and bank accounts was recovered during the District Attorney’s investigation in conjunction with the fraudulent activity being carried out by that business.
District Attorney Spitzer also announced the prosecution of eight more people, including six state prisoners, involved in two other unemployment schemes to also defraud California taxpayers of tens of thousands of dollars. Among those charged with filing false unemployment claims are two convicted murders who claimed the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted their ability to work
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File
LOS ANGELES (AP) Sophisticated hackers, identity thieves and overseas criminal rings stole over $11 billion in unemployment benefits from California last year, but the extent of the fraud might grow far larger: billions more in payments are under investigation.
California Labor Secretary Julie Su told reporters in a conference call Monday that of the $114 billion the state has paid in unemployment claims, about 10 percent or $11.4 billion have been confirmed as fraudulent. Nearly $20 billion more another 17 percent is considered suspicious, and a large part of that could be found to be fraud, she said. There is no sugarcoating the reality, Su said. California did not have sufficient security measures in place to prevent this level of fraud, and criminals took advantage of the situation.