Identities of infamous killers Cary Stayner and Scott Peterson allegedly stolen in EDD fraud scam
SAN FRANCISCO -- A woman has been arrested after she allegedly stole the identities of convicted murderers Scott Peterson and Cary Stayner to steal more than $145,000 in fraudulent unemployment benefits from California's Employment Development Department.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the arrest and charges against Brandy Iglesias in the scam that was uncovered by investigators in Contra Costa County.
Iglesias has been charged with multiple counts of felony grand theft and forgery.
According to the arrest warrant, Iglesias fraudulently collected benefits between 2020 and 2021 in both her own name as well as through the identities of Peterson and Stayner.
The pair have been incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison since 2005 and 2002.
Currently, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo is reviewing the murder case against Peterson to determine if he deserves a new trial.
He spent nearly two decades on death row before the California Supreme Court tossed out his sentence in 2020 on grounds that the jury was improperly screened for bias against the death penalty. He has since been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Stayner is on San Quentin's death row after being convicted of the murders near Yosemite Park of 42-year-old Carole Sund; her daughter, 15-year-old Juli Sund; Juli's friend, 16-year-old Argentine exchange student Silvina Pelosso and Yosemite Institute employee Joie Ruth Armstrong.
"Don't let the infamous names distract you from who this crime really hurt — the most vulnerable in our society," Bonta said in a new release. "EDD theft hurts families in need, parents left without jobs during a pandemic, and Californians struggling to get by. That's why I'm thankful for my agents, and for our partners in the EDD and CDCR, for their work together on this case."
The criminal complaint alleges that the thefts were carried out over a period of 1 1/2 years from April 2020 to September 2021. The investigation revealed that Iglesias was employed by a private company that contracted with the prison, and through her employment she may have gained access to prisoners' personal information.
Iglesias was arrested on October 15, 2022 by a team of CDCR agents in Contra Costa County and taken into custody.