A Seaside, Oregon resident has admitted in federal court to stealing more than $567,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits from the Oregon Employment Department (OED).
Tamara Fulmer, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government benefits. According to court documents, between May 2020 and October 2021, Fulmer used the personal information of 27 people to fraudulently apply for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits that were meant for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Investigators say OED paid out a total of $567,930 as a result of Fulmer’s actions. She deposited at least 236 UI checks worth $68,773 into her own account and cashed many other checks at a gas station in Seaside without permission from the applicants. In addition to these schemes, Fulmer received another $13,353 after submitting her own fraudulent application for UI benefits while falsely claiming she had not applied for or received disability payments—even though she had been receiving such payments since 2004.
On February 19, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Fulmer on one count of theft of government property.
Fulmer could face up to ten years in prison, a fine up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for February 18, 2026 before a U.S. District Court Judge.
As part of her plea agreement with prosecutors, Fulmer has agreed to give up any proceeds from her crimes and pay restitution totaling $581,283 as recommended by the government.
The case was investigated by several agencies: the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General; and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Meredith D.M. Bateman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon prosecuted the case.
“Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.”
