Stratford Woman Accused Of Stealing $230K In Unemployment With Stolen Identities: Officials

STRATFORD, CT — A Stratford woman is accused of using the personal information of friends, acquaintances, and people she was supposed to be helping through her job to obtain payment cards, financial accounts, and unemployment benefits, according to officials.

Bianca N. Davila, 38, was arrested Jan. 30 by inspectors with the Statewide Prosecution Bureau in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, according to a news release from the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.

Davila was charged with unemployment fraud, first-degree larceny, first-degree identity theft, two counts of second-degree identity theft, and four counts of third-degree identity theft.

The charges stem from an ongoing investigation by the Statewide Prosecution Bureau originating from a written complaint from the Connecticut Department of Labor, according to officials.

The complaint charges that Davila used “personally identifiable information of a person she knew to illegally obtain unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the news release.

“The Department of Labor later associated eight accounts with Davila, aggregating a potential theft of more than $230,000, all accomplished by using the personally identifiable information of people she knew,” officials wrote. “The investigation showed that Davila additionally obtained payment cards and financial accounts using the personally identifiable information of people she knew either personally or incidentally.

“Inspectors from the Statewide Prosecution Bureau confiscated documents from Davila’s home containing the personal information of more than 100 people, some of which she accessed while employed by social service agencies. The investigation showed the defendant also altered her own personally identifiable information to pass background checks for employment. Inspectors from the Statewide Prosecution Bureau are continuing the process of notifying the impacted agencies and individuals. “

Davila was released after posting a $60,000 bond with a court date of Feb. 26.

On Sept. 4, inspectors with the Statewide Prosecution Bureau arrested Davila and charged her with multiple counts of unemployment compensation fraud, first-degree larceny, second-degree money laundering and first-degree identity theft.