Six Orange County residents were rounded up Wednesday by federal authorities on indictments for identity theft to collect unemployment benefits.
Three indictments allege seven defendants were involved in the thefts of identities to illegally collect unemployment benefits, federal prosecutors said.
Tien Vo, 43, of Westminster, Crystal Nguyen, 35, of Garden Grove, Thao Nguyen, 46, of Westminster and Michelle Strange, 40, of Midway City, were named in a June indictment, prosecutors said. They are accused of bank fraud and identity theft, prosecutors said.
The four are accused of getting unemployment insurance debit cards for pandemic relief by using stolen identities from May 2020 through January 2022, prosecutors said. In all, $15,650 in benefits were stolen, prosecutors said.
A separate indictment returned in August names Chien Khang Bui, 36, of Anaheim, Nangialey Nick Wardak, 54, of Santa Ana, and Mandy Lynn McGrew, 35, of Santa Ana, prosecutors said.
The three are accused of stealing identities to apply online for home equity lines of credit, prosecutors said. The conspiracy led to $502,806 in illegally obtained lines of credit, according to prosecutors.
The three are charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said. They are also accused of illegally receiving COVID-19 unemployment relief from July and August of 2020, prosecutors said.
Bui was also charged with distribution of methamphetamine in December 2022 and February 2023 as well as unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition, prosecutors said.