Home Press Releases NINE INDIVIDUALS CHARGED WITH FRAUDULENTLY COLLECTING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

NINE INDIVIDUALS CHARGED WITH FRAUDULENTLY COLLECTING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

Wednesday, 09 July 2008

NINE INDIVIDUALS CHARGED WITH FRAUDULENTLY COLLECTING MORE THAN $138,000 IN UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS TRENTON – Attorney General Anne Milgram and Acting Criminal Justice Director Deborah Gramiccioni announced today that nine people have been charged in separate indictments with stealing a total $138,140 from New Jersey’s unemployment insurance trust fund.   The indictments resulted from cooperative investigations by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the Division of Criminal Justice Major Crimes Bureau.  Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner David J. Socolow said that the cases were first identified by Labor Department investigators by cross-matching employer-submitted wage information against UI benefit payments; pursuing leads from employer protests of UI benefit charges; surveying employer payroll records; and responding to alerts from concerned citizens. According to Acting Director Gramiccioni, the Division of Criminal Justice - Major Crimes Bureau obtained a June 30 state grand jury indictment charging Kevin G. Boswell, 28, of Trenton, with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.  The indictment alleges that Boswell stole $4,080 in UI benefits.  Boswell filed for UI benefits in June 2004.  According to the indictment, the next month, Boswell allegedly began working for the New Jersey Department of Treasury’s Division of Revenue.  It is charged that Boswell failed to notify the labor department of the employment. On June 26, the Division of Criminal Justice Major Crimes Unit obtained four state grand jury indictments: Shareef J. Jones, 30, of Newark, was charged with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification for allegedly stealing $22,620 in UI benefits. Jones filed for UI benefits in August 2001 and again in December 2002.  The indictment alleges that, after filing each of these claims, Jones earned wages from Seton Company T/A Radel Leather, located in Norristown, Pa.  Jones allegedly failed to notify the labor department of his employment. Freddie Cruz, 30, of Kearny, was charged with three counts of third-degree theft by deception and one count of fourth-degree unsworn falsification to authorities.  The indictment alleges that, after filing for UI benefits in June 2003, Cruz began earning wages from Independent Sheet Metal Co., located in Hawthorne, as well as Macy’s department store in West Orange.  The indictment further charges that, after filing subsequent UI benefits claims in August 2004 and April 2007, Cruz was again employed by Independent Sheet Metal Co.  It is charged that by failing to notify the labor department of his earnings, Cruz stole $18,317 in UI benefits. Tanya Davis, 36, of Jersey City, was charged with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.  After filing for UI benefits in February 2003, Davis allegedly worked for JH Reid, General Contractor, Corp., in South Plainfield.  It is charged that, as a result of not reporting the employment to the labor department, Davis fraudulently collected $16,388 in UI benefits to which she was not entitled.   Kelvin Houston, 29, of Irvington, was charged with two counts of third-degree theft by deception and one count of fourth-degree unsworn falsification. The indictment alleges Houston filed for UI benefits in January 2003 and February 2004, but was working at the same time he was collecting on the claim.  It is charged that Houston worked for CDC Masonry Restoration, Inc., located in East Orange, and Maher Terminals, located in Berkeley Heights, while collecting on the 2003 claim.  It is further alleged that Houston worked for Maher Terminals and P&O Ports, North America, Inc., located in Iselin, while collecting on the 2004 claim.  By not reporting his earnings to the labor department, Houston allegedly stole $9,605 in UI benefits.   The Division of Criminal Justice Major Crimes Unit obtained four additional indictments in June: John Beatty, 45, of National Park, was charged on June 6 with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification for stealing $29,499 in UI benefits.  After filing for UI benefits in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, Beatty allegedly earned wages from Fisher Tank, Inc., of Chester, Pa., and JJ White Co., of Philadelphia, yet failed to notify the labor department of his earnings. Daphne F. Thompson-Miller, 37, of High Point, North Carolina, was charged on June 16 with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.  The indictment charges Miller stole $12,532 by failing to report to the labor department that she was earning wages from Robert Half Corporation, located in Pleasanton, Calif., and Bennett College, located in Greensboro, N.C. while collecting on a February 2003 UI benefits claim. Luis M. Melendez, 43, of Eatontown, was charged on June 11 with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.  The indictment charges that while he was collecting on a February 2003 UI benefits claim, Melendez was working for J.F. Kiely Construction Co., located in Long Branch.  As a result of not notifying the labor department of the earnings, Melendez received $18,316 in UI benefits to which he was not entitled. Thomas J. Russell, Sr., 50, of Bridgeton, was charged on June 18 with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.  Russell filed for UI benefits in September of 2002.  Russell was allegedly employed by the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Vineland Development Center at the time he was collecting on the claim.  Russell allegedly stole $6,783 in UI benefits by not reporting his earnings to the labor department.   Detectives Gary O’Brien and Lynn Fitzgerald of the Division of Criminal Justice coordinated the investigations.  The cases were presented to the state grand jury by Deputy Attorneys General Valerie Noto (Boswell), Lee Schwartz (Jones, Cruz, and Davis and Houston), Mark Kurzawa (Beatty), Viktoria Kristiansson (Thompson-Miller), Adam Heck (Melendez), and Christine Hoffman (Russell).    The indictments are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  Third-degree crimes carry a sentence of up to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000, while fourth-degree crimes carry a sentence of up to 18 months in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

 

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