Two Lake County Men Plead Guilty to Unemployment Insurance Fraud
INDIANAPOLIS (October 2, 2017) –
Crown Point resident Brandon G. Maynard, 35, pled guilty to unemployment insurance fraud in Lake County Superior Court Criminal Division 1 on September 12, 2017. Maynard was sentenced to two and a half years of probation and ordered to repay DWD $10,560 for the benefits he fraudulently collected.
Lake Station resident Michael W. Smith, 51, pled guilty to unemployment insurance fraud in Lake County Superior Court Criminal Division 3 on September 22, 2017. Smith was sentenced to two and a half years of probation and ordered to repay DWD $21,172 for the benefits he fraudulently collected.
Through the use of agency records, an Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) employee began an investigation and determined that Maynard and Smith were working and receiving wages while claiming unemployment insurance benefits.
DWD
receives wage reports and new hire data from Hoosier employers documenting who
is employed and receiving compensation. The agency uses this information to
ensure people are not collecting unemployment insurance benefits while
working.
Since 2014, Indiana courts have ordered fraudsters to repay more than $8.5
million in restitution to the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.
“Combatting fraud preserves employer-paid monies in the trust fund for those
individuals whom are truly in need of unemployment insurance benefits,” said
Kate Shelby, DWD, Unemployment Insurance Operations Director.
You can help combat unemployment
insurance fraud and abuse by reporting it online at www.in.gov/dwd/fraud. Your efforts will
help ensure tax dollars are spent wisely and unemployment insurance benefits
are paid only to people who are eligible to receive them. You do not need to
provide your name or any other identifying information in order to file a
complaint.
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Attachment: Michael Smith's booking photo
For additional information, contact:
Kayli Schroeder, 317-232-7358, kschroeder@dwd.in.gov
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