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TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram and
Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni
announced today that eight people have been
charged with cheating the State of New Jersey’s
unemployment fund out of $161,903. A ninth
defendant was charged with failing to provide
workers’ compensation to employees.
The
charges resulted from cooperative investigations
by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development
and the Division of Criminal Justice Major
Crimes Bureau.
During
March, the Division of Criminal Justice Major
Crimes Bureau obtained the following state
grand jury indictment:
State
v. Bruce Harris and Wheels, Inc. of N.J.
Harris, 59, of Lumberton, and his company,
Wheels, Inc., of both Lumberton and Mount
Laurel, were each charged in a March 23 state
grand jury indictment with fourth-degree failure
to provide workers’ compensation coverage.
In July 2007, an employee of Wheels, Inc.
was involved in a motor vehicle accident during
the course of her employment. The indictment
alleges that Harris and Wheels, Inc. did not
have workers’ compensation coverage
at the time of the accident. An investigation
determined that the employee decided not pursue
a workers’ compensation claim. However,
the state’s Uninsured Employer’s
Fund is responsible for paying temporary disability
and medical expenses to employees when their
employers do not carry the coverage.
State
v. Lena McMillan. McMillan, 57, of
East Orange, was charged on March 25 with
third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree
unsworn falsification. According to the indictment,
McMillan was employed by the Newark Board
of Education and the Mount Carmel Guild while
collecting on a September 2003 UI benefits
claim. McMillan allegedly failed to report
her earnings to the Department of Labor and
Workforce Development, and consequently received
$12,154 in UI benefits to which she was not
entitled.
State
v. Lorenzo Marshall. Marshall, 43,
of Farmingdale, was charged on March 10 with
third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree
unsworn falsification. According to the indictment,
Marshall filed for UI benefits in September
2002, January 2004 and January 2005. At various
times while collecting on these benefits,
Marshall allegedly earned wages from Grove
Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center, Patock
Construction, and Art Anderson, Inc. By failing
to notify the Department of Labor and Workforce
Development of his earnings, Marshall allegedly
received $38,824 in UI benefits to which he
was not entitled.
The
Division of Criminal Justice Major Crimes
Bureau obtained six state grand jury indictments
in February:
State
v. Desiree Brown. Brown, 37, of Edison,
was charged on Feb. 24 with third-degree theft
by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.
Brown filed for UI benefits every April from
2001 to 2004. According to the indictment,
while collecting on the claims, Brown allegedly
worked for Spherion Altantic Enterprise, Adecco
North American, B.P. Slavitt Associates, and
New Community Corporation. It is further charged
that Brown failed to notify the Department
of Labor and Workforce Development of her
earnings, and consequently received $31,365
in UI benefits to which she was not entitled.
State
v. Jacob Johnson. Johnson, 32, of
Hoboken, was charged with third-degree theft
by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification
for allegedly stealing $16,290 in UI benefits.
Johnson filed claims for UI benefits in June
2002 and again in June 2003. The indictment
charges that, while collecting on the 2002
claim, Johnson allegedly earned wages from
Excess, Inc., Adco Electrical, and Forest
Electrical. While collecting on the 2003 claim,
Johnson allegedly worked for Communications
Technology Service. The indictment further
alleges that Johnson failed to notify the
Department of Labor and Workforce Development
of his earnings.
State
v. Grayson J. Hampton. Hampton, 52,
of Vauxhall, was charged on Feb. 24 with third-degree
theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn
falsification. Hampton was allegedly employed
by MLD Mortgage Inc. while he was collecting
on an August 2003 UI benefits claim. By not
reporting his earnings to the Department of
Labor and Workforce Development, Hampton allegedly
received $12,532 to which he was not entitled.
State
v. Faye L. Dharam. Dharam, 52, North
Bergen, was charged on Feb. 24 with third-degree
theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn
falsification for allegedly stealing $12,084
in UI benefits. The indictment alleges that
after filing for UI benefits in May 2003,
Dharam earned wages from Joule Staffing Services,
Inc. It is further charged that Dharam failed
to notify the Department of Labor and Workforce
Development about these earnings.
State
v. Franklyn J. Marzullo. Marzullo,
62, of Southhampton, was charged on Feb. 4
with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree
unsworn falsification. According to the indictment,
while collecting on UI benefits claim that
he filed in December 2001 and May 2003, Marzullo
allegedly earned wages from Home Depot. By
not reporting his earnings to the Department
of Labor and Workforce Development, Marzullo
allegedly collected $20,863 in UI benefits
to which he was not entitled.
State
v. Kelli Brown. Brown, 32, of Brigantine,
was charged on Feb. 4 with third-degree theft
by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification
for allegedly stealing $17,791 in UI benefits.
The indictment alleges that after filing for
UI benefits in April 2002 and April 2003,
Brown earned wages as a casino floor person
for the Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City.
It is alleged that Brown failed to notify
the Department of Labor and Workforce Development
of her earnings.
Detectives Gary O'Brien and Lynn Fitzgerald
of the Division of Criminal Justice coordinated
the investigations. The cases were presented
to the state grand jury by Deputy Attorneys
General Mark Kurzawa (Harris and Wheels, Inc.),
Jacqueline Cistaro (Desiree Brown, McMillan
and Marshall), Janet Bosi (Johnson, Hampton
and Dharam), and James Ruberton (Marzullo
and Kelli Brown).
The
Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Commissioner David J. Socolow said that the
cases were first identified by Labor Department
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 concerned
citizens.
The
indictments are merely accusations and the
defendants are presumed innocent until proven
guilty. Third-degree crimes carry a sentence
of up to five years in state prison and a
fine of up to $15,000, while fourth-degree
crimes carry a sentence of up to 18 months
in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
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