 The sweep was the result of IDES and attorney general's office investigations
that discovered the defendants were repeatedly certifying they were unemployed
in order to collect weekly benefits in spite of already being employed."These
defendants collected unemployment benefits while they were simultaneously
collecting a paycheck," Madigan said. "Prosecuting these cases deters fraud and
ensures the integrity of the unemployment insurance program to help the
unemployed who need the resources as they search for new employment."
In April 2012, IDES and the attorney general's office partnered to pursue
criminal prosecution of unemployment fraud. These announced indictments are the
first set of criminal charges resulting from that partnership.
"This joint effort is a direct result our emphasis to fight waste, fraud and
abuse," said IDES Director Jay Rowell. "Unemployment insurance benefits are
designed to help hardworking individuals and the small businesses they patronize
survive an economic crisis. Stealing money from those who play by the rules
hurts our economy and cannot be tolerated."
Madigan filed charges against 14 defendants. The charges were of theft, a
Class 1 felony punishable by four to 15 years in prison, and state benefits
fraud and wire fraud, Class 3 felonies punishable by two to five years in
prison.
In each case, the defendants used the IDES telephone or online verification
system to falsely verify they were unemployed and thus accessed taxpayer-funded
assistance during their supposed unemployment. Investigations by IDES and
Madigan's office revealed the defendants were, in fact, employed and should not
have received benefits or the level of benefits they claimed.
Fraudulent claims made by the defendants were from 2009 through 2011. In the
most egregious cases, several defendants obtained more than $40,000 in
fraudulent benefits.
Prosecutors charged nine defendants in Cook
County, alleging:
-
Donyea Abrams, 33, of Chicago,
collected more than $20,000 in fraudulent benefits.
-
Chaya Boone, 33, of Chicago,
collected more than $29,000 in fraudulent benefits.
-
Diana Flemons, 48, of Matteson, collected more than
$27,000 in fraudulent benefits.
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-
Sheila Jackson,
48, of Richton Park, collected more than $32,000 in fraudulent
benefits.
-
Carol Jones, 51,
of Chicago, collected more than $24,000 in fraudulent benefits.
-
Mark Meloy, 56, of
Orland Hills, collected more than $20,000 in fraudulent
benefits.
-
Mattie Moore, 46,
of Chicago, collected more than $48,000 in fraudulent benefits.
-
Veronica Villar,
40, of Chicago, collected more than $24,000 in fraudulent
benefits.
-
Alan Weatherspoon, 52, of Midlothian,
collected more than $23,000 in fraudulent benefits.
Will, Kankakee, Champaign County
charges:
-
Additionally, in
Will County, Thomas Aggen, 44, of Lockport, was charged for
collecting more than $34,000 in fraudulent benefits, and Anthony
Osei, 57, and Mohammed Azher, 45, both of Bolingbrook, were
charged for each collecting more than $27,000 in fraudulent
benefits.
-
Tony Williams, 40,
of Bradley, was charged in Kankakee County for collecting more
than $44,000 in fraudulent benefits.
-
In Champaign County, defendant Bobby
Crowe, 38, of Urbana, was charged for allegedly collecting more
than $34,000 in fraudulent benefits.
Assistant Attorneys General Robin Murphy and John Walz are
handling the cases for the attorney general's Special Prosecutions
Bureau.
[Text from file received from the office
of
Illinois Attorney General Lisa
Madigan]
 |
