Helping patients
Happy anniversary
Doris Henke makes every day fun.
Couple is still sweethearts after 75 years.
News, etc., B1
News, etc., B1
C a l i f o r n i a ’ s O l d e s t N e w s pa p e r – E s t. 18 51
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2020
Volume 169 • Issue 139 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
EDD fraud could total $1 billion in losses n Scam involves inmates
at every jail in the state, including El Dorado County Dawn Hodson Staff writer
District attorneys from across the state, including El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson, last week announced they have been investigating a scam run out of local, state and federal prisons that could involve the theft of up to $1 billion. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials said between March and
August over 35,000 unemployment claims were filed in the names of inmates, with 20,000 of those claims paid. Sixteen claims were filed for one inmate alone. The scam was a joint effort between inmates and their confederates outside prisons filing phony unemployment claims with the Employment Development Department of California using real or false names, addresses and Social Security numbers. The fraud went undiscovered until recently because EDD does not use software that compares the list of prison inmates against those filing for benefits. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said so far they have uncovered tens of
Nov. 3 vote count certified
thousands of rapists, inmates involved traffickers, child “As a taxpayer all of us statewide molesters and should be angry about this.” with the other violent losses totaling — Vern Pierson, prisoners. Those hundreds of El Dorado County district attorney filing included millions of 133 death row dollars and as much as $1 billion. inmates. Through August, the total “The fraud is staggering,” she said in amount stolen for those on death a press conference Nov. 24, adding it row in her county alone amounted “will be one of the biggest frauds of to $420,000 with the highest claim taxpayer dollars in California history.” being $20,000. Schubert said the losses in local jails Payments went to inmates and alone could be $10 million, adding their confederates in California, other there is concern a similar scam could states and even other countries. Both be taking place in state hospitals or Schubert and Pierson pointed out other detention facilities. California does not have a system like Schubert said the stolen money 35 other states that checks the names went to every kind of inmate including notorious serial killers, n See EDD fraud, page A6
Cleverly clad conifers
Turnboo wins District 2 Kevin Christensen Staff writer George Turnboo has captured the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors’ District 2 seat in a close matchup over Ken Pimlott. Turnboo, owner of George’s Pit Shop in El Dorado and pastor of El Dorado George Turnboo Community Church, came out victorious over Pimlott, Cal Fire’s former director, by less than 1% — tallying 11,921 votes to Pimlott’s 11,685. El Dorado County’s Registrar of Voters Bill O’Neill on Nov. 25 certified all votes cast in the county have been counted. “Our grassroots campaign has achieved victory,” n
See Turnboo, page A6
City council seats go to Neau, Saragosa Thomas Frey Staff writer Placerville Mayor Michael Saragosa and community volunteer Jackie Neau have been elected to the Placerville City Council. Saragosa received 19.2% of the total vote to retain his spot on the City Council. “It’s deeply humbling for voters to give me a chance to run in a fouryear term,” Saragosa told the Mountain Democrat Friday morning. Saragosa was appointed to the City Council in 2018 to fill the seat of Trisha Wilkins, who resigned. “Still in n
See city council, page A6
TM
Mountain Democrat photo by Krysten Kellum
The Highway 50 Christmas trees, photo above, are looking as festive as ever as they greet visitors to downtown Placerville. Driving by at night or even during the day it’s hard to appreciate all the detail put into the trees, which are adopted and decorated by members of the community. This fir, above, was made up to resemble the big guy himself — Santa Claus. Topped with a lucha libre mask, photo below, this one’s is also covered with taco ornaments. The El Dorado Community Health Center crew used a lab coat and stethoscope, right photo, to turn their tannenbaum into a doctor.
Jackie Neau
Michael Saragosa
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