06-03-2025
COVID fraud scheme sends Fillmore woman to jail
A Fillmore woman was sentenced to jail Tuesday for stealing more than $100,000 in a felony fraud case that involved COVID-19 relief funds.
Claudia Portugal Cornejo, 52, had pleaded guilty in October to five felonies, including two counts of grand theft along with counts of conspiracy, presentation of a fraudulent claim and false personation, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said in a news release.
Prosecutors say Cornejo stole $70,000 from the county of Ventura and $25,000 from the state through a scheme involving her business, Fillmore General Services. The county had launched a business assistance grant program in June 2020 to help local companies impacted by the pandemic. The state funded a similar program.
Cornejo submitted multiple fraudulent applications to the program, according to the DA's office.
She also stole $6,800 from two individuals who paid her a fee in advance to submit applications on their behalf. The applications were never submitted, prosecutors say.
The county's executive office discovered the fraud in October 2021 when they found suspicious documents in the grant applications, including forged business certificates and doctored tax forms, according to the release. The Ventura County Sheriff's major crimes unit, along with the county executive office, found Cornejo turned in multiple fraudulent applications. She also charged victims to submit paperwork and took a portion of approved grants. She was arrested in October 2022.
'The defendant stole tens of thousands of dollars from taxpayers and hardworking individuals, lining her own pockets at the expense of those in real need,' said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko in a statement.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy DA Howard Wise.
On Tuesday, Cornejo was sentenced to 12 months in jail. An additional 28 months in jail was suspended as part of felony probation terms, the DA's office said. She was also ordered to pay more than $92,000 in restitution to the county, $25,000 to the state and $6,800 to two individual victims.
She remains housed at the county's Todd Road Jail facility outside Santa Paula.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: COVID fraud scheme sends Fillmore woman to jail
