California inmates may have bilked $400M from state's unemployment
Authorities in California are investigating allegations that prisoners in the state may have committed unemployment benefits fraud to the tune of $400 million—with $5 million in fraudulent payments at one facility in San Diego alone. The Los Angeles Times reported that the investigation is in its early stages, and Summer Stephan, the San Diego County district attorney, said a forensic investigation “will take time and resources, but is necessary to hold individuals responsible for gaming the system at a time when our economy and our communities are already hurting amid the ongoing pandemic." The report said that some of the $400 million in benefits were sent to about 100 prisoners on death row.