Three More Charged in Massive Unemployment Fraud California auditors said at least $810 million in the names of roughly 45,000 inmates had been approved. Apr 12th, 2021 In his Dec. 18, 2020, file photo a runner passes the office of the California Employment Development Department in Sacramento, Calif. California lawmakers on Thursday, April 8, 2021, advanced what they called commonsense legislation requiring two state agencies to share information aimed at helping stop billions of dollars in pandemic-related unemployment fraud. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Federal prosecutors said Friday that they have charged three Southern California women with using prison inmates' names to bilk a state agency out of a combined nearly $1.25 million in coronavirus-related unemployment benefits, the latest allegations in an ongoing scandal that has cost hundreds of millions of dollars.