Los Angeles County is grappling with a significant scandal, as 24 county employees stand accused of defrauding the state’s unemployment system for more than $740,000. Eleven of these individuals were recently charged with felony grand theft as disclosed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, reported by KTLA. These charges come in the wake of an earlier announcement in October identifying 13 other county workers involved in similar fraudulent activities.
According to District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman, in a statement parsed through official channels, the alleged thefts were carried out between 2020 and 2023, during, and in the wake of, the COVID-19 pandemic. The county employees, though fully employed and earning at least $3,000 per month, reportedly claimed to be unemployed to receive aid, thus making themselves ineligible for the benefits they collected. Hochman emphasized the determination of his office, saying, “My office will continue relentlessly rooting out fraud and prosecuting government employees who steal from the public they serve.”
Among the accused is Georgette McKinney, a supervising child support specialist, who allegedly misappropriated funds using her own identity and 28 fictitious ones, as detailed by KTLA. The extent of her alleged theft amounts to over $132,000. The Los Angeles County reimbursed the state for the fraudulent benefits claimed by these employees, with the total estimations by the Auditor-Controller’s office suggesting the county may have lost upwards of $3.5 million to various schemes, including those perpetrated by its employees…