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TRENTON
– Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa
announced that a Cherry Hill woman was indicted
today on charges that she obtained $161,358
in unemployment insurance funds from the State
of New Jersey by filing fraudulent claims
using false names and fictitious employment
information.
Reina
Peck, 41, of Cherry Hill, was charged in
a 12-county state grand jury indictment
with theft by deception (2nd degree), impersonation
(2nd degree), theft by deception (3rd degree),
and nine counts of tampering with public
records or information (3rd degree). The
indictment alleges that Peck obtained $161,358
in unemployment benefits by filing eight
fraudulent applications with the New Jersey
Department of Labor between February 2009
and October 2010, including one application
filed in her actual name and seven filed
in false names, including variations of
her name. The claims filed in false names
also included fraudulent Social Security
numbers and other false identifying information.
Peck,
who previously had operated an insurance
company, allegedly filed each of the claims
based on wages purportedly earned through
fictitious employment in the insurance industry.
It is also alleged that Peck fraudulently
collected $7,075 in benefits from the Federal
Additional Compensation Program, a program
in place at the time which provided a supplemental
payment of $25 for each week that an individual
received unemployment benefits. In addition,
between Feb. 9 and Aug. 2, 2009, Peck allegedly
fraudulently collected $14,196 in disability
insurance benefits by filing a claim for
disability benefits in the name “Rena
Peck” at a time when she was employed
and earning wages. That is the basis for
the third-degree theft charge.
The
indictment is the result of a joint investigation
by the Division of Criminal Justice Labor
Prosecutions Unit and the New Jersey Department
of Labor & Workforce Development Bureau
of Payment Control. The indictment was presented
to the state grand jury by Deputy Attorney
General James Ruberton. Detective Gary O’Brien
led the investigation for the Division of
Criminal Justice.
Second-degree
crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years
in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000,
while third-degree crimes carry a sentence
of three to five years in state prison and
a fine of up to $15,000. The indictment
is merely an accusation and the defendant
is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
A copy of the indictment is posted with
this release at www.njpublicsafety.com.
The
indictment was handed up to Superior Court
Judge Pedro J. Jimenez Jr. in Mercer County,
who assigned it to Camden County.
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