Brenda's Battle: Mother Needs Your Help

My name is Brenda. I am a 53-year-old single mother of a 12-year-old boy who is on the Autism Spectrum.

In 2020, I was working 2 jobs when the government shut down my bartending job. I did work 40 hours a week for the county, but that didn’t pay enough to support us. I collected unemployment since the bartending job was my lifeline. It kept me off welfare. I think this speaks for my work ethic and integrity.

I am being charged with a felony for this. They did not inform me until a year later that I was not allowed benefits. I owed $43,000 (they added a $10,000 penalty). I’ve paid it down to $36,000. Also, I lost a year’s worth of tips and wages at about $20,000. They don’t care about that.

I am accepting a plea agreement with a 6-year deferred sentence to pay it off. They will also add a 10% fee to this. I have to work 2 jobs now just to pay the bills. They took my job away, then my happiness, and now my freedom. I’m embarrassed to ask for help, but I also know I can’t continue 6 days a week up until I’m 59. Illegal aliens made more money than me. I appreciate any help anyone can give. I just want to get it down to where I can get a loan to pay off to take the felony off my record.