News Releases
April 2, 2021: Ex-State Employee Charged With Misappropriating Public Funds
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Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced today that a woman has been charged with fraudulently funneling over $200,000 in disability payments to herself while she worked for the state’s Employment Development Department.
“People were relying on these payments and they were unwittingly taken advantage of by someone who was supposed to help them,” District Attorney Gascón said. “I will continue to strive for clean government and rid corruption from public offices.”
Karina Maria Valdez (dob 12/30/82) was charged in case BA493918 with one felony count each of embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, perjury, identity theft and grand theft.
She is scheduled to be arraigned today in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
The case was filed on March 16.
Beginning in 2014, Valdez is accused of manipulating the accounts of people seeking disability benefits while she worked as a disability insurance program representative. She allegedly routed debit cards with fraudulent information to herself and withdrew roughly $215,000 over a five-year period.
The case was investigated by EDD.
