California OK’d aid in name of Scott Peterson, other killers

FILE – This May 11, 2018, file photo, from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, shows Scott Peterson. A California prosecutor says someone has filed an unemployment claim in the name of convicted murderer Peterson. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said it is one of at least 35,000 unemployment claims made on behalf of prison inmates between March and August 2020.

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By ADAM BEAM Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s system for paying unemployment benefits is so dysfunctional that the state approved more than $140 million for at least 20,000 prisoners, local and federal prosecutors said Tuesday, detailing a scheme that resulted in claims filed in the names of well-known convicted murderers like Scott Peterson and Cary Stayner.

From March to August, more than 35,000 inmates were named in claims filed with the California Employment Development Department, with more than 20,000 being paid, according to Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. At least 158 claims were filed for 133 death-row inmates, resulting in more than $420,000 in benefits paid

“It involves rapists and child molesters, human traffickers and other violent criminals in our state prisons,” Schubert said.

The list includes Peterson, who was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing his pregnant wife following a trial that riveted the nation. The California Supreme Court recently overturned Peterson’s death sentence and has ordered a lower court to review his murder conviction.

Schubert confirmed there was a claim made in the name of Scott Peterson, but declined to provide further details.

Peterson’s attorney, Pat Harris, said while Peterson’s name surfaced during the investigation, there is no evidence Peterson received unemployment aid from the state.