TRENTON
– Division of Criminal Justice Director
Vaughn L. McKoy announced that the Major
Financial Crimes Bureau has charged five
men with illegally collecting more than
$68,700 in Unemployment Insurance (UI)
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 five individuals
with theft by deception and unsworn falsification
to authorities for bilking the New Jersey
UI benefits program out of more than $68,700.
"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 June 16 indictment charged Richard Cook,
55, Steiner Ave, Neptune, Monmouth County,
with three counts of theft by deception
and one count of unsworn falsification
to authorities for allegedly stealing
more than $26,600 from the UI benefits
program by not reporting earnings to DLWD.
Cook filed for UI benefits in January
of 2000 and 2001 and again in October
2002. The investigation determined that
at various times while Cook was collecting
on the claims, he was employed at GM Eastern
Contracting, Inc., Asbury Park, Monmouth
County.
A second June 16 indictment charged Julio
Cesar Reyes, 49, Ft. George Avenue, New
York, NY, with three counts of theft by
deception and one count of unsworn falsification
to authorities for collecting UI benefits
while he was earning wages as a longshoreman.
Reyes filed three UI benefits claims -
October 1999, November, 2000 and January,
2002. The indictment alleges that Reyes
was employed at various times on an as-needed-basis.
It is charged that Reyes collected wages
and failed to report his employment to
the DLWD. As a result, Reyes allegedly
bilked more than $18,200 from the UI benefits
program.
The Division of Criminal Justice obtained
a third indictment which charged Randy
Hawes, 44, W. Trenton Avenue, Morrisville,
PA, with two counts of theft by deception
and two counts of unsworn falsification
to authorities. Hawes filed two separate
UI benefits claims while employed. The
first claim, filed in April, 2000, paid
benefits until October, 2000. During that
time, Hawes was employed as a field laborer
by Trenton-based Shaw Environmental. After
filing the second claim in February 2002,
Hawes resumed working for Shaw Environment.
By not reporting his earnings to DLWD,
Hawes received more than $9,316 in UI
benefits to which he was not entitled.
A fourth indictment returned on June 16
charged Kyle Dixon, 45, Wayne Avenue,
Philadelphia, PA (L/K/A), with theft by
deception and unsworn falsification to
authorities for allegedly obtaining more
than $8,800 in UI benefits to which he
was not entitled. Dixon filed for UI benefits
in October 1999; in February 2000, Dixon
began working as a cook at Forsgate Villas
in Summit, Union County. It is charged
that Dixon never reported the employment
to DLWS.
A separate indictment returned on June
3, charged Carlos Manon, 37, De Berber
Street, Newark, Essex County (L/K/A),
with theft by deception and unsworn falsification
for allegedly stealing more than $5,700
from the UI benefits fund. Manon filed
for UI benefits in April, 2001 and collected
on the claim until February, 2002. From
May - June 2001, Manon was employed as
a warehouse worker by Playmobil USA Inc.,
located in Cranbury, Mercer County. The
investigation determined that from June
to July, 2001, and again from December,
2001 to February, 2002, Manon worked as
a dock warehouse worker at MCST Preferred
Transportation Inc., located in Perth
Amboy, Middlesex County. It is charged
that during May 2001, Manon earned wages
as a temporary employee from Brickforce
Industrial Inc., in Edison, Middlesex
County. The investigation further revealed
that Manon failed to report any of the
earnings to DLWD.
Deputy Attorney General Candy Cure presented
the Cook, Reyes, and Dixon cases to the
State Grand Jury. Cook’s case has
been assigned to Monmouth County for trial;
Reyes’ case will be venued in Bergen
County for trial, and Dixon’s case
has been referred to Atlantic County for
trial. Deputy Attorney General Mark Kurzawa
presented the Hawes and Manon cases to
the State Grand Jury. Hawe’s case
will be venued in Mercer County for trial
and Manon’s case has been referred
to Middlesex County for trial.
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.