Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Roosevelt Gulley III, a 41-year-old Sacramento resident, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to a scheme targeting California’s unemployment insurance program during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
Court documents indicate that between July and September 2020, Gulley obtained personal information—including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers—without the individuals’ knowledge. He then submitted at least 79 fraudulent applications for unemployment benefits through the California Employment Development Department (EDD). As a result, debit cards loaded with benefit funds were mailed to addresses Gulley had provided in the applications. He retrieved these cards and withdrew money at various ATMs. Authorities allege that this scheme caused losses exceeding $575,000, with intended losses estimated at over $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.”
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General and the California EDD’s Investigation Division, with support from the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow is prosecuting the case.
Gulley’s sentencing is scheduled for January 26, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year sentence to be served consecutively. The final sentence will be determined by the court based on statutory factors and federal Sentencing Guidelines.
This prosecution is part of an operation by the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force—one of five such teams created by the U.S. Department of Justice nationwide—which targets large-scale pandemic relief fraud across state lines using collaborative law enforcement and data analysis methods.
