Today, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, announced that Cora Eutsay has been arrested and charged with alleged trafficking in and unauthorized use of personally identifying information. During a joint state-federal criminal investigation, it was discovered that the accused, a DEO-funded employee independently managed by CareerSource South Florida, accessed the Florida Department of Children and Families’ ACCESS Florida system to obtain personally identifying information for unauthorized purposes.  

In this case, upon discovering evidence of the alleged criminal activity, DEO immediately alerted and cooperated with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, which is staffed with sworn law enforcement officers who investigate and prosecute public assistance fraud and identity theft.  

As a result of this alleged crime, and pursuant to state law requiring notice to all individuals whose personal information may have been inappropriately accessed, letters will be sent to approximately 200,000 individuals whose information is known to have been inappropriately accessed.  Public notice will also be published in print and provided to broadcast media.

All known affected individuals are eligible for a year of free credit monitoring.  In addition to the dedicated hotline indicated in the notice letters, individuals who suspect their information may have been misused or that they may be the victim of identity theft should visit http://myfloridalegal.com/identitytheft for more resources.