TRENTON
– Division of Criminal Justice Director
Vaughn L. McKoy announced that the Major
Financial Crimes Bureau has charged two
New Jersey men with illegally collecting
more than $22,000 in Unemployment Insurance
(UI) benefits, one of whom was incarcerated
in county jail while collecting benefits.
The prosecutions result from a cooperative
investigative effort by the Department
of Labor and Workforce Development (DLWD)
and the Division of Criminal Justice.
According
to Director McKoy, the Division of Criminal
Justice - Major Financial Crimes Bureau
obtained separate State Grand Jury indictments
charging two people with theft by deception
and unsworn falsification to authorities
for bilking the New Jersey UI benefits
program out of more than $22,000.
"The
Division of Criminal Justice and the Department
of Labor and Workforce Development have
established investigative protocols which
target deliberate and blatant attempts
by individuals who attempt to steal thousands
of dollars from the state unemployment
fund," said Criminal Justice Director
McKoy. “Make no mistake, we intend
to investigate, prosecute, recoup and
return dollars stolen from our unemployment
compensation programs."
"The
Department of Labor and Workforce Development
uses a variety of methods to track those
who would abuse the system and fraudulently
obtain benefits," said Unemployment
Insurance Director David Socolow. "These
cases were first identified by DLWD 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 the staff of our local claims offices."
A
Sept. 15 indictment filed by the Division
of Criminal Justice charged Josue Soto,
Goodwin Street, Perth Amboy, Middlesex
County, with two counts of theft by deception
and one count of unsworn falsification.
The indictment alleges that Soto stole
more than $13,700 in UI benefits by not
reporting to the DLWD that he was working
while collecting UI benefits claims. Soto
filed for UI benefits in December 2000
and again in January 2002. An investigation
by the Division of Criminal Justice determined
that, Soto was employed as a laborer by
three different pool/construction companies:
Ridge Pools, Inc., Basking Ridge, Somerset
County; Distinctive Pools, Inc., Morganville,
Monmouth County; and C&R Utilities,
Inc., Spotswood, Middlesex County during
the time that he was collecting on both
claims.
A
Sept. 12 indictment charged Harry Alexander,
53, Black Horse Pike, Williamstown, Gloucester
County, with theft by deception and unsworn
falsification for allegedly collecting
more than $8,200 in UI benefits to which
he was not entitled. Alexander filed for
benefits in March 2000 and again in June
2001. An investigation by the Division
of Criminal Justice determined that while
he was receiving the benefits, Alexander
was employed by Gramlich Services, Inc.,
located in Atco, Camden County. He failed
to notify DLWD of these earnings. The
investigation further revealed that, as
he was collecting on the second claim,
Alexander was incarcerated for several
weeks at the Gloucester County Jail.
Deputy
Attorney General Erin Callahan presented
Soto case, which will be venued in Middlesex
County. DAG Edward Werner presented Alexander’s
case, which was referred to Gloucester
County.
Theft
by deception is a third-degree crime which
carries a maximum penalty of up to five
years in state prison and a fine of up
to $15,000, while unsworn falsification
to authorities is a fourth-degree crime
which calls for up to 18 months in state
prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
A
copy of this release and the related indictments
can be found at www.njdcj.org.
An
indictment is merely an accusation. The
defendants are presumed innocent until
proven guilty in a court of law.
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