Elk Grove Man Charged With Making $385K In Fraudulent EDD Claims
ELK GROVE (CBS13) - An Elk Grove man has been arrested, accused of stealing more than $385,000 in taxpayer funds via fraudulent unemployment claims.
On June 22, Elk Grove Police Department officers responded to the report of a domestic disturbance happening at an apartment complex. At the complex, officers reportedly made contact with the suspect, Keonte Upchurch. That's where they then allegedly found evidence of Employment Development Department (EDD) fraud, which included a notebook with the personal information of 21 different victims, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.
Law enforcement officers alleged Upchurch illegally filed 19 different EDD claims, some involving state prison inmates, and received over $385,000 in fraudulent EDD funds.
Upchurch on Thursday was charged by the D.A.'s office with 19 counts of EDD fraud and 19 counts of theft.
"Law enforcement across the state has witnessed staggering EDD fraud committed by criminals and their accomplices. Sacramento's law enforcement agencies will continue to partner together to investigate EDD fraud," said Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert,
Upchurch also has two prior strike convictions for robbery.