SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tabitha Leigh Markle, 53, of Sacramento, was sentenced Thursday to four years and two months in prison for orchestrating a fraudulent scheme that exploited the COVID-19 unemployment insurance program.
Between April 2020 and January 2021, Markle filed multiple fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance benefits using stolen personal information, including the identities of several California state prison inmates. She falsified employment records to make it appear as though the claimants were eligible for benefits, although they were not.
Quentin Heiden, Special Agent-in-Charge for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, stated, “Markle unlawfully obtained over $2.5 million in pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits, diverting funds intended for workers in need during the public health crisis for her personal gain.”
Markle submitted fake applications to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), and the resulting unemployment insurance debit cards were mailed to addresses she listed on the fraudulent claims. Surveillance photos showed Markle and her associates withdrawing large sums of cash from ATMs across California using the cards.
In one instance, Markle used the personal information of an Oakland resident without their knowledge to file a false claim. Markle then used this victim’s identity to withdraw thousands of dollars of unemployment benefits.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez emphasized, “This sentencing underscores our commitment to prosecuting fraud that abuses vital support programs meant for the unemployed during the pandemic.”
