ARVIN, Calif. (KERO) — Arvin Mayor Olivia Trujillo is accused of alleged unemployment insurance fraud by the city she is the mayor of.
According to letters sent to the Employment Development Department back in May, the city suspected Trujillo may have committed unemployment insurance fraud by submitting an unemployment claim against the City of Arvin.
In a statement, the Arvin Acting City Manager said:
The City will not comment on the validity of the statement made by Mayor Trujillo regarding the former City Manager. However, the City Council takes this matter extremely seriously and is investigating the issues.
After review of the Employment Development Department (EDD) claims received by the City and finding that it appeared a claim had been submitted in Ms. Trujillo's name for unemployment benefits, the City took steps related to determining the validity of that claim. The City is continuing to investigate this matter and will do so until such time as action may be taken based on the results of the investigation.
23ABC has reached out to Trujillo but has not heard back yet.
According to the letter sent to the EDD, Trujillo was at all relevant times either the mayor or a city councilperson for Arvin. She was a city councilperson from December 2018 to 2020 and mayor from December 2020 to the present.
She has never been an employee of the city, according to the letter.
Former City Councilmember Gabriela Martinez also has a letter from the city and signed by the former City Manager Richard Breckenridge accusing her of EDD fraud.
Here are copies of the letters:
