Seaside woman stole more than $500K in fraudulent unemployment benefits from OED

Seaside woman stole more than $500K in fraudulent unemployment benefits from OED
November 4, 2025

LATEST NEWS

Seaside woman stole more than $500K in fraudulent unemployment benefits from OED

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Federal authorities have reported that an Oregon woman stole the personal information of 27 people to apply for government benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tamara Fulmer pleaded guilty for her crimes on Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced. The Seaside resident was first indicted for theft of government benefits in February.

‘A failure’: Portland metro area’s homeless population grew by 61% over 2 years, report shows

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said court documents show that Fulmer fraudulently applied for unemployment insurance benefits by using other people’s information from May 2020 to October 2021. Officials estimate that the now-47-year-old woman received $567,930 worth of benefits from the Oregon Employment Department, including $68,773 that were deposited into her personal account using at least 236 different checks.

Investigators also found that she cashed several checks at a Seaside gas station, and received another $13,533 from OED after requesting unemployment insurance benefits using her own information. Fulmer alleged she hadn’t “applied for or received disability despite receiving disability payments since 2004,” according to authorities.

Her sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 18, 2026. Officials said Fulmer is facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, in addition to a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

USAO reported that she has already agreed to forfeit the proceeds from her crimes and pay $581,283 in restitution, as part of her plea agreement.

Share this post:

POLL

Who Will Vote For?

Other

Republican

Democrat

RECENT NEWS

Mostly Sunny

Opinion: Surplus clean energy dollars can build the community safety system Portland needs

Mega Millions numbers: Are you the lucky winner of Tuesday’s $451 million jackpot?

Mega Millions numbers: Are you the lucky winner of Tuesday’s $90 million jackpot? One ticket in New Jersey won

Mostly Sunny

Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija creates ‘Turbo’ ice cream: ‘I love food and I’m a foodie’

Dynamic Country URL Go to Country Info Page