DATE: May 12, 2020
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Lisa A. Smittcamp, District Attorney
SUBJECT: Adopt Resolution Accepting Monetary Donation to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office to Fund the Identification Theft Prosecution Unit
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Adopt Resolution accepting and expressing gratitude for the donation of $300,000 from Table Mountain Rancheria for the Fresno County District Attorney’s Identification Theft Prosecution Unit for FY 2019-20.
REPORT
Since 2010, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Identification (ID) Theft Prosecution Unit has received generous donations from the Table Mountain Rancheria. With your Board’s acceptance of this $300,000 donation, Table Mountain Rancheria will have donated a total of $9,300,000 in support of the District Attorney’s ID Theft Unit. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not approve the recommended action, the continuation of the District Attorney’s ID Theft Prosecution Unit at the current level may not be possible.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Table Mountain Rancheria provided a $300,000 donation on April 1, 2020, which was deposited into the ID Theft Special Revenue Fund 0060, Subclass 17208, and, once accepted by your Board, will be used to offset costs associated with the District Attorney’s ID Theft Unit for FY 2019-20. Appropriations of $1,389,300 and estimated revenues in the amount of $1,200,000 for the ID Theft program are included in the District Attorney-Grants Org 2862 Adopted Budget for FY 2019-20.
DISCUSSION:
ID theft is taking the personal identifying information of another, and using it for any unlawful purpose (Cal. Penal Code § 530.5). It is a serious crime with serious consequences.
According to “2018 Identity Fraud: Fraud enters a new Era of Complexity,” from Javelin Strategy & Research, in 2017, there were 16.7 million victims of identity fraud, a record high that followed a previous record the year before. Criminals are engaging in complex fraud schemes that are leaving record numbers of victims in their wake. The amount stolen hit $16.8 billion in 2017 as 30 percent of U.S. consumers were notified of exposure to a data breach that year, an increase of 12 percent from 2016. For the first time, more Social Security numbers were exposed than credit card numbers.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office (DA) has a specialized unit dedicated to prosecuting ID theft in our community. Since the Unit’s inception in 2007 (with State Indian Gaming funds, which were discontinued in 2010 for this program), the DA has accepted 3,095 felony cases. The ID Theft Unit works closely with other law enforcement agencies, and performs community outreach on the dangers and prevention of ID Theft.
This is the fourth donation of $300,000 from Table Mountain Rancheria and its Tribal Membership during the current fiscal year. These donations allow the DA ID Theft Unit to continue to combat the growing threat of ID theft, and allows this critical program to continue to be staffed with three Deputy District Attorneys, two Senior DA Investigators, one Investigative Technician, and one Legal Assistant position for FY 2019-20.
If the donations for this program are discontinued, the associated positions will be deleted, unless an alternative funding source is found.
DONOR DISCLOSURES:
To satisfy reporting requirements under Administrative Policy 30 for donations greater than $7,500 in value, the following is provided:
• Table Mountain Rancheria is not a County contractor or principal in a business, agency, or organization providing contracted services within the County.
• Table Mountain Rancheria is not a contractor that has bid on a County contract in the last 12 months.
• The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office has no knowledge that the donor will bid on any County contract within the next 12 months.
• Table Mountain Rancheria, 23736 Sky Harbor Road, Friant, CA 93626, has provided a $300,000 donation, which was deposited into the ID Theft Special Revenue Fund 0060, Subclass 17208, and will be used to offset costs associated with the District Attorney’s ID Theft Unit for FY 2019-20.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI No. 19 - February 4, 2020
BAI No. 28 - December 10, 2019
BAI No. 23 - September 24, 2019
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Resolution
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck