“I fully suspect that California EDD investigators will be extremely busy with these types of investigations for months and months, if not years.  It is unfortunate that, during an unprecedented and trying time for most Californians, criminals took advantage of emergency assistance meant for those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.” – CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

MONTEREY COUNTY – On May 19, 2021, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced that indictments charging 29 people, many of them county jail inmates, with unemployment insurance fraud have been unsealed. The indictments were found true by a Monterey County Grand Jury on April 30th after they heard five days of evidence. The indictments included 21 individuals who applied for and received unemployment insurance while in custody in the Monterey County Jail. The remaining eight indictments were returned against individuals who, while not incarcerated, conspired with the inmates to commit the fraud. Out of the 29 persons indicted, 12 have previous serious or violent felony convictions making them subject to the ‘three strikes’ law. Several defendants are scheduled to be arraigned today.

The 29 defendants are charged with multiple felonies including conspiracy, making fraudulent statements on unemployment insurance applications, and money laundering. The total fraud involved in this case exceeds $360,000.

Emergency federal and state unemployment insurance benefits were made available through the California Employment Development Department (EDD) to assist people during the pandemic.  Many people fraudulently took advantage of the emergency to apply for benefits they were not entitled to receive. In July of last year, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and Salinas Police Department learned of widespread fraud involving inmates at the Monterey County Jail applying for and receiving unemployment benefits for periods during which they were incarcerated. Persons in jail or prison are not “available to work” and are therefore ineligible for unemployment assistance.

District Attorney Pacioni created a task force which included the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, Salinas Police Department, Monterey Police Department, and CSUMB Police. The task force, with assistance from state EDD investigators, continues to identify those who illegally took advantage of the pandemic. More arrests and charges are expected from the multi-agency task force.

Below is a list of those persons indicted by the Grand Jury:

Daniel Lee Rosbach, age 29 of Salinas

Heather Louise Rosbach, age 33 of Castroville

Luciano Ramirez, age 34 of Salinas

Mayra Rodriguez Guzman, age 29 of Salinas

Davian Derrell Jones, age 29 of Lancaster

Jeraline Diana Jones, age 27 of Lancaster

Diondre Lamon Rodriguez, age 49 of Seaside

Shayna Dawn Kisling-Bowman, age 42 of Marina

Daniel Michael Birchell, age 34 of Monterey

Amanda Kari Marie Agloro, age 33 of Seaside

Justin Allen Casey, age 32 of Seaside

Rafael Valencia, age 25 of Salinas

Rubie Marie Jimenez, age 32 of Soledad,

Tracy Dyan Rhodes, age 34 of Salinas

Daniel Aaron Contreras, age 28 of Brisbane

Andrew Magana, age 32 of Salinas

Kevin Anthony Hall, age 28 of Marina

Josephine G Hall, age 52 of Marina

Michael Eugene Fuller, age 23 of Fresno

Christian Isaiah Foster, age 22 of Fresno

Amber Dawn Umbarger, age 40 of Los Osos

Brian Zuniga, age 26 of King City

Antonio DeLuna, age 22 of Salians

Arcadio Benito Perezruiz, age 25 of Salinas

Ralph Salvador Apodaca, age 40 of Salinas

Oscar Benitez, age 22 of Salinas

Javier Morales Vaca, age 42 of Watsonville

Adrien Olivas, age 34 of Salinas

Tirrell Deshaun Butler, age 32 of Stockton