SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Dozens of migrants are in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody after a boat was intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard off the San Diego coast on Saturday.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Sea Otter (WPB 87362) was patrolling the waters off San Diego on Saturday when they reported they made contact with a 33-foot boat that was operating without navigation lights about seven nautical miles off the coast of Point Loma.

The Coast Guard says the Sea Otter’s boarding team, along with members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), boarded the boat and found 37 migrants aboard.

The migrants were taken to Ballast Point and transferred into CBP custody. The Coast Guard says 30 were of Mexican nationality, two were of Salvadoran nationality, three were of Guatemalan nationality, and one was of Colombian nationality, along with one U.S. citizen who was reported to be the operator of the vessel.

No other information was immediately available.

A Southern California-based nonprofit CEO pleaded guilty Monday to fraudulently applying for millions of dollars in COVID-19 jobless benefits, using stolen identities to steal nearly $1.5 million, officials say.

According to the Department of Justice, Reginald Foster Jr., 38, of Westchester, Los Angeles, admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bank fraud and one count of unauthorized use of access devices. 

The indictment alleges Foster took advantage of the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, part of the CARES Act passed in 2020 to help people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Between June and October of 2020, the DOJ says Foster conspired with others to file fraudulent unemployment claims using the personal information of individuals who did not authorize the applications. 

In total, Foster and his co-conspirators allegedly submitted 118 fraudulent applications to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), using stolen identities to ensure the approval of the claims. 

Foster then received debit cards issued by EDD and transferred funds from those cards to his nonprofit, Champs Up! LLC, which was reportedly created to provide lifestyle and personal development coaching to middle school students in Los Angeles and Long Beach.

According to officials, Foster also withdrew large sums of money from the cards, including multiple $1,000 ATM withdrawals. 

The group ultimately withdrew nearly $1.5 million from the fraudulent claims, according to the DOJ. 

The scheme was purportedly uncovered when EDD and Bank of America froze the remaining benefits, preventing additional losses of more than $4 million.

The DOJ says Foster now faces up to 30 years in federal prison for the conspiracy charge and up to 10 years for the unauthorized use of access devices when he is sentenced on March 24, 2025. He remains free on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.

Two co-defendants, Shelece Counts, 31, of Los Angeles, and Isaiah Herbert Lawrence, 31, of Houston, Texas, have pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with the scheme. A trial is scheduled for January 2025.

A soldier from Fontana has been charged with murder in the death of another soldier at Fort Irwin in San Bernardino County.

Spc. George Cornejo, 26, is accused of killing Spc. Andrew P. Smith on Oct. 28, military officials said in a press release.

Smith, 27, was found injured in his residence that day and later succumbed to his wounds, officials said when announcing his death. The Rye, New York, native had been stationed at Fort Irwin for more than two years.

The manner and possible motivation for the alleged murder were not released.

Cornejo has been in pre-trial custody since Oct. 29, and he’s expected to be transferred to the Naval Consolidated Brig in Miramar.

A preliminary hearing will be held to determine if Cornejo will be tried by court-martial.