The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a rise in unemployment fraud and hate crimes, Orange County elected officials say. Right now, Employment Development Department (EDD) fraud is one of the largest challenges the state is facing, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer and Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) said during a March 26 virtual town hall. “Unemployment benefits have been the scourge of California,” Min said. “This has actually been a nationwide phenomenon, but California being the biggest state has been the hardest hit. Over $31 billion in fraud has been uncovered.” Some of the current EDD fraud cases involve Orange County inmates in state prison, Spitzer said. The prisoners applied for unemployment benefits, claiming they were without work, and had the benefits sent to a friend or family member living in Orange County. The California District Attorneys Association set up a task force to look into cases of EDD fraud. In one instance, county authorities …