“It may take time for investigators to identify and arrest those suspected of unemployment benefits fraud, but investigators, state and country-wide, have shown that there is a concerted effort to bring to justice those who have illegally taken these public funds.” – CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

SACRAMENTO – On March 17, 2023, Jamie Williams-Major was sentenced to eight years in state prison after she pled to 10 counts of Employment Development Department (EDD) fraud. Williams-Major was initially arrested in connection with an EDD fraud scheme on April 9, 2021, by members of the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Employment Development Department, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

When a search warrant was served at her residence in Sacramento County, investigators recovered a significant amount of EDD paperwork belonging to fraudulent accounts and other fraudulent credit card evidence. It was discovered that Williams-Major had participated in this EDD fraud scheme with six other subjects who were all in custody. Four of those subjects were in custody in Sacramento County, two of whom were facing homicide charges. The other two subjects were in custody at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Several of the individuals involved have prior strike convictions including gang-related crimes. Together, the suspects fraudulently obtained more than $250,000.

When further investigation led the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office to discovering more victims, a second case was filed (#21FE020137) against Williams-Major on December 10, 2021, alleging she committed additional EDD fraud totaling $2,952,025.

Four of the co-defendants in her initial case pled to EDD fraud charges and received state prison commitments. The other two co-defendants were convicted in separate cases, one for manslaughter and one for murder. All have been ordered to pay restitution for the amounts they fraudulently obtained.