13 LA County Employees Charged with Stealing Over $430,000 in Unemployment Benefits, DA Says

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has charged 13 county employees from seven different agencies with felony grand theft for allegedly stealing a combined $437,383 in unemployment benefits between 2020 and 2023.

Each defendant faces up to three years in state prison if convicted.

“As government employees, we have an obligation to uphold the public’s trust,” said District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. “When a civil servant steals from the government, that trust is broken. The scale of fraud in these cases is shocking… Today, we are putting all government employees on notice: If you steal from taxpayers, you will be prosecuted.”

Fraudulent Claims During the Pandemic

While continuing to collect County paychecks, the defendants allegedly filed false unemployment insurance claims with the California Employment Development Department (EDD), falsely certifying under penalty of perjury that they earned less than $600 per week. In reality, investigators say the employees earned more than that amount, making them ineligible for unemployment benefits.

“Fraud committed by County workforce members during a public health emergency is particularly egregious,” said Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller Oscar Valdez. “Public service is a public trust, and those who violate that trust must be held accountable.”

Defendants and Alleged Thefts

The following cases were filed in October:

Alla Agamalian (Justice, Care and Opportunity Department): Allegedly stole $37,800.
Aurora Lopez Bautista (Public Social Services): $9,349.
Derrick Anthony Callella (Health Services): $9,984.
Donisha Nicole Brumfield (Child Support Services): $39,600.
Ivan Jacob Mariscal (Public Social Services): $11,700.
Jessica Antonia Chandler (Children and Family Services): $48,900.
Chandra Kameko Tisdale (Children and Family Services): $57,900.
Kelley Collins (Public Social Services): $56,400.
Mary Theresa Thomas (Children and Family Services): $10,350.
Raquel Martinez-Alvarez (Sheriff’s Department): $54,900.
Shalita Viola Hammell (Children and Family Services): $35,850.
Toni Chereece Pittmon (Children and Family Services): $52,950.
Ynna Aghabegian (Auditor-Controller’s Office): $11,700.

Most arraignments are scheduled in November at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, while some cases have been filed for warrant.

County Losses Estimated in Millions

The Public Integrity Division is prosecuting the cases, which remain under investigation by the Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller’s Office of County Investigations.

The Auditor-Controller estimates that the County lost over $3.75 million in pandemic-related unemployment fraud, including $1.7 million stolen by County employees. Overall, public and private employers in Los Angeles County lost an estimated $10 billion due to pandemic-era EDD fraud.

Members of the public can report suspected fraud, waste, or abuse involving County employees or contractors to the LA County Fraud Hotline at fraud.lacounty.gov or by calling (800) 544-6861.