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Peter
C. Harvey, Attorney General |
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March 10, 2004 DIVISION
OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE - FINANCIAL CRIMES BUREAU CHARGES
More Than $120,000 Allegedly Bilked From Unemployment Program |
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TRENTON – Attorney General Peter C. Harvey announced that the Division of Criminal Justice - Financial Crimes Bureau has charged 11 New Jersey residents with illegally collecting more than $120,000 in Unemployment Insurance (UI) and/or Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) benefits to which they were not entitled. According
to Vaughn L. McKoy, Director, Division of Criminal Justice, the Financial
Crimes Bureau obtained separate State Grand Jury indictments charging
11 individuals from eight counties with theft by deception and unsworn
falsification to authorities. Each of State Grand Jury indictments
alleges that the defendants either filed false claims for unemployment
or disability insurance, or continued to collect UI and TDI after
returning to employment. The amounts fraudulently collected range
from $4,000 to more than $21,000. The first State Grand Jury indictment charges Yvette Wright, 39, Mercer Street, Trenton, Mercer County, with three counts of theft by deception and one count of unsworn falsification to authorities. The indictment alleges that between September, 1998 and November, 2000, Wright filed three separate claims for UI benefits. The investigation determined that while Wright was collecting the UI benefits, she was employed as a clerk by the State of New Jersey. It is alleged that Wright failed to report her employment to the Department of Labor, collecting more than $5,400 in illegal benefits. Read
Related Release - Wright>> Additional State Grand Jury indictments include: State v. Brooke Keshiane, 42, Johnson Place, Northvale, Bergen County. Charged with three counts of theft by deception, two counts of identity theft and single counts of uttering a forged instrument and unsworn falsification to authorities. The indictment alleges that in March, 1999 and again in May, 2001, Keshiane filed separate claims for TDI benefits which listed the employer as Brooke Promotions. The investigation determined that Brooke Promotions was fictitious and that Keshiane had allegedly forged the name and signature of doctors at the Bergen Regional Medical Center to verify the TDI claim. In May 2002, Keshiane allegedly used a fake social security number to file a third claim for TDI benefits. The indictment charges Keshiane with collecting more than $21,600 in TDI benefits to which she was not entitled. Read Related Release - Keshiane>> State v. Stephanie Miller, 40, Myrtle Ave., Passaic, Passaic County. Charged with multiple counts of theft by deception, identity theft, and forgery. The indictment alleges that Miller filed two separate UI claims in April, 2001 and 2002. It is charged that Miller submitted a fraudulent W-2 form for the first claim and provided the Motor Vehicle Commission with false information in order to obtain a Motor Vehicle Identification card which she used to support the second claim. Miller is charged with stealing more than $18,300 from the state unemployment fund. Read Related Release - Miller>> State v. Clifton E. Boone, 40, Tollgate Street, Florence, Burlington County. Charged two counts of theft by deception and one count of unsworn falsification to authorities. The indictment alleges that Boone filed two separate UI benefit claims in January, 1999 and 2000 after being laid off from various positions as a heavy machine operator. It is charged that Boone resumed his employment and continued to collect the UI benefits. The indictment alleges that Boone collected more than $10,065 in monies to which he was not entitled. Read Related Release - Boone>> State v. Richard Wiggins, 33, Birch Street, Lakewood, Ocean County. Charged with three counts of theft by deception and one count of unsworn falsification to authorities. The indictment charges that Wiggins filed three separate claims for UI benefits in December 1998 and January and December, 2000. It is charged that Wiggins worked at an asphalt company in Farmingdale, Monmouth County and/or at an ambulance company in Lakewood, Ocean County, while simultaneously collecting more than $11,271 in fraudulent benefits. Read Related Release - Wiggins>> State v. Jeffery Cash, 33, Sewall Ave., Asbury Park, Monmouth County. Charged with two counts of theft by deception and one count of unsworn falsification to authorities. The State Grand Jury indictment charges that Cash collected more than $11,900 in unemployment funds after filing two fraudulent claims in December, 1998 and during 1999. It is charged that Cash was employed at a Freehold, Monmouth County, industry and/or as a landscaper at various Monmouth County lawn services while allegedly collecting UI benefits. State v. Christina A. Scott, 47, Harrington Circle, Willingboro, Burlington County. Charged with two counts of theft by deception and one count of unsworn falsification to authorities. The indictment alleges that Scott filed two claims for UI benefits and failed to report employment to the Department of Labor. The indictment also charges that Scott filed a second UI claim in August, 2000, again neglecting to report employment. The indictment charges that Scott allegedly bilked the state unemployment fund out of more than $4,000. Read Related Release - Scott>> Additionally, the Division of Criminal Justice - Financial Crimes Bureau obtained indictments charging the following defendants with one count each of theft by deception and unsworn falsification for allegedly filing one claim of UI benefits, yet failing to report employment earnings to the Department of Labor: •
Lumuel Coleman, 43, Marshall Street, Irvington, Essex County - $6,244
alleged theft In announcing the investigation, Director McKoy noted that the Division of Criminal Justice has established a toll-free "Corruption Tipline" for the public to report corruption, financial crime and other illegal activities. The statewide "Corruption TipLine" is: 1-866-TIPS-4CJ. Additionally, the public can log on to the Division of Criminal Justice Web Page at www.njdcj.org to electronically report suspected wrongdoing. Any information received via the Division of Criminal Justice "Corruption Tipline" remains confidential. Theft by deception is a 3rd 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 4th degree crime which calls for up to 18 months in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Deputy Attorney General Candy Cure presented the Wright, Wiggins, Cash and Prusik cases to the State Grand Jury. DAG David Kiefer presented the Keshiane, Watkins and Coleman cases. DAG Denise Grugan presented the Boone, Scott and Green cases, while DAG Mark Kurzawa presented the Miller case. All are assigned to the Division of Criminal Justice - Financial Crimes Bureau. The Wright, Prusik and Watkins' cases are assigned to the Mercer County Superior Court for trial. The Coleman and Green cases have been assigned to the Essex County Superior Court. Keshiane's case will be venued in the Bergen County Superior Court, while the Miller case has been assigned to the Passaic County Superior Court. The Boone case is assigned to the Camden County Superior Court, while the Wiggin case has been assigned to the Ocean County Superior Court. Cash's case will be venued in Monmouth County and the Scott prosecution is assigned to the Burlington County Superior Court. An indictment
is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed until proven
guilty in a court of law. # # # |
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