Pasadena man sentenced to 10 years for using $1M unemployment fraud

Robert Sloan Mateer, 32, of Pasadena, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who also ordered him to pay $937,173 in restitution.

Mateer pleaded guilty in November 2022 to one count of use of unauthorized access devices, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.

On October 1, 2020, Mateer - whose criminal history includes a felony conviction in Los Angeles Superior Court in March 2020 for driving or taking a vehicle without consent - and co-defendant Sarah Taylor Brown, 36, of Los Angeles, were stopped in Pasadena for a traffic violation and his vehicle was searched. The search of Mateer's Maserati SUV revealed:

* approximately 85 grams of methamphetamine;

* two cellphones with debit and credit cards in names belonging to persons other than Mateer and Brown;

* a 9mm-caliber pistol with no serial number and loaded with two rounds of ammunition;

* an additional round of 9mm-caliber ammunition in the driver's side pocket of the car;

* 17 California Employment Development Department (EDD) cards in the names of third parties;

* five credit and debit cards in other people's names; and

* approximately $197,711 in cash.

Mateer admitted in his plea agreement that he fraudulently obtained EDD debit cards by applying for unemployment insurance benefits using another individual's personal identifying information on the EDD website. On the website, Mateer would direct the EDD debit card to be sent to an address that did not belong to the individual whose identity he was using. Mateer, Brown, and other co-conspirators then would retrieve the debit cards from the Mateer-designated address and use the card at ATMs to withdraw cash benefits.

In total, the conspiracy caused actual losses to the EDD program of approximately $937,173. Brown was captured on ATM surveillance footage making at least $54,740 in withdrawals.

Judge Wright in November 2021 ordered the Maserati SUV and the $197,711 in cash forfeited to the United States.

Brown pleaded guilty in December 2022 to one count of use of unauthorized access devices. On February 7, Judge Wright sentenced Brown to time served, after she had served nearly 20 months, to be followed by supervised release for three years, and ordered her to pay $54,740 in restitution, to be held jointly and severally liable with Mateer.

The United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Nisha Chandran of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section prosecuted this case.

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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/pasadena-man-sentenced-10-years-prison-using-fraudulently-obtained-edd-cards-withdraw