South Bend resident Carol A. Lavelle, 56, recently pled guilty in St. Joseph County Mishawaka Circuit Court to unemployment insurance fraud, a Class D Felony. Lavelle knowingly defrauded the system by collecting unemployment insurance benefits while working full-time.
Through the use of agency records, an investigation began when an Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) employee determined that Lavelle was working and receiving wages while claiming unemployment insurance benefits.
Lavelle has been ordered to repay $39,079.84 in restitution to DWD for the benefits she fraudulently collected and was sentenced to eighteen months of probation.
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.
You can also help combat unemployment insurance fraud and abuse by reporting it online atwww.in.gov/dwd/fraud. Your efforts will help ensure tax dollars are spent wisely and unemployment insurance benefits are only paid 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 in regards to unemployment insurance fraud.
