Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in Connection with Covid-Related Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme
Summary
A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California dated Monday, September 15, 2025, announcing that Roosevelt Gulley III, 41, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. According to court documents cited in the release, from July through September 2020 he collected other people's personally identifiable information and submitted at least 79 fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits to the California Employment Development Department, then withdrew money from the benefit debit cards at ATMs. The release states that the government alleges an actual loss of more than $575,000 and an intended loss exceeding $1.5 million. It was announced by U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
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Press Release Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in Connection with Covid-Related Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme Monday, September 15, 2025 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California Roosevelt Gulley III, 41, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, from July through September 2020, Gulley participated in a Covid-fraud scheme targeting the Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit program administered by the California Employment Development Department (EDD). He collected personally identifiable information, including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and other information, and electronically submitted fraudulent applications for UI benefits to the California EDD in those persons’ identities. He electronically submitted at least 79 of these fraudulent applications to California EDD, which resulted in UI benefits debit cards being mailed to addresses he listed in the fraudulent applications. Gulley then retrieved the debit cards and removed money from them at various ATMs. The government alleges that the actual loss attributed to this fraudulent scheme was more than $575,000, with an intended loss exceeding $1.5 million. “Roosevelt Gulley collected the personally identifiable information of individuals without their knowledge to fraudulently collect unemployment insurance benefits intended for American workers who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Quentin Heiden, Special-Agent-in-Charge, Western Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “I would like to thank the Eastern District of California and the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force for their continued efforts to hold accountable those who committed pandemic-related fraud.” This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General and the California EDD’s Investigation Division, with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow is prosecuting the case. Gulley is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 26, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd. Gulley faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for wire fraud and a mandatory additional sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. This effort is part of a California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force operation, one of five interagency COVID-19 fraud strike force teams established by the U.S. Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces use prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Updated September 15, 2025 Topics Coronavirus Financial Fraud Identity Theft Component USAO - California, Eastern Related Content Press Release Arrests Aimed at Dismantling a Transnational Fraud Organization in “Operation Silver Shores” Arrests were made today across the United States, in California, Texas, and Florida, following the indictment of more than 20 members of a transnational criminal organization charged with conspiring to... October 21, 2025 Press Release Ringleader of Catalytic Converter Theft Ring Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison September 18, 2025 Press Release Sacramento Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud and Identity Theft Monique Marie Gonzales Grado, 32, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. September 9, 2025
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