FRESNO, Calif. — Cheryl Lynn Frazier, 60, of Fresno, was sentenced on Tuesday by United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill to four months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Judge O’Neill also ordered Frazier to pay $13,285 in restitution to the California Employment Development Department (EDD).

According to court documents, from October 2008 through April 2011, Frazier fraudulently claimed and received state unemployment benefits despite being a fulltime IRS employee. Before she became a fulltime employee, Frazier was a seasonal employee. During her off-season unemployment, Frazier filed for and received unemployment benefits from the EDD. In October 2008, she started to work fulltime but continued to claim unemployment benefits. She underreported or omitted her hours and wages on claim forms mailed to EDD. Frazier continued to receive unemployment checks mailed by EDD until her scheme was detected in April 2011.

“Employees of the Internal Revenue Service must maintain the highest standards of integrity,” said J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). “We will investigate any allegations of misconduct by those employees and refer for prosecution as appropriate.” TIGTA is the federal agency responsible for providing independent oversight of the IRS and protecting the integrity of tax administration.

This case is the product of an investigation by TIGTA and the California Employment Development Department. Assistant United States Attorney Grant B. Rabenn is prosecuting the case.

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