Porter County Man Pleads Guilty to Unemployment Insurance Fraud
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 12, 2018) –
Portage resident Richard Burns, 46, pled guilty to unemployment insurance fraud in Porter County Superior Court 1 on Aug. 31, 2018. Through the use of agency records, an Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) employee began an investigation and
determined that Burns was working and receiving wages while claiming
unemployment insurance benefits.
Burns was sentenced to almost two and a half years of probation and ordered to repay DWD $16,357.88 for the benefits he fraudulently collected.
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 2013, Indiana courts have ordered fraudsters to repay millions 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
Regina Ashley, DWD, Chief Unemployment Insurance and Workforce Solutions Officer.
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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