Hired to help with the pandemic overload, he committed fraud and demanded kickbacks for pushing through fraudulent claims

Tacoma – A former employee of Washington State’s Employment Security Department (ESD) was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to five years in prison for three federal felonies for his scheme to exploit his employment for personal enrichment and to fraudulently distribute at least $360,000 in pandemic-related unemployment benefits, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Reyes De La Cruz, III, 48, of Moses Lake, Washington, personally enriched himself by at least $130,000 with his scheme. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan said, “This was a serious offense…damaging to our system of government and to individuals.”

“Mr. De La Cruz’s betrayal of public trust is particularly egregious, since he was hired to help people survive during a time of national crisis,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Instead, through multiple acts of demanding bribes, falsifying records, stealing identities – he stole from the public to line his own pockets. The Department of Justice is working relentlessly to combat pandemic fraud, and to hold people who defrauded the government accountable.”

"Public servants must be held to higher standard.” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “Mr. De La Cruz took advantage of a program meant to assist struggling families during the pandemic. He exploited his...

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