More inmates accused of fraudulently seeking jobless checks

HARRISBURG, PA. »

Eighteen

inmates in Pennsylvania state prisons and two girlfriends of inmates on the outside have been charged in what authorities describe as a scheme to fraudulently obtain jobless benefits for ineligible prisoners, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The 20 sets of charges were announced by state Attorney General Josh Shapiro a month after prosecutors disclosed the investigation into illegal applications for unemployment compensation benefits that were temporarily enhanced because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Look, I know it is shocking and it’s wrong. Many who waited and filed and struggled — they sat back looking for their checks while these fraudsters, these criminals, cashed in,” Shapiro said at a news conference. The investigation is not over, he said.

The inmates charged this week are incarcerated at the Benner, Mahanoy and Phoenix state prisons, located near State College, in Schuylkill County and in the Philadelphia suburbs. Two inmates are serving time for homicide, one for aggravated assault and several for robbery or burglary charges, Shapiro said.

At the State Correctional Institution-Mahanoy, Shapiro claimed, inmates used jail phones to tell alleged co-conspirators how to file claims.

At SCI-Benner, an inmate allegedly provided to his girlfriend the Social Security numbers and dates of birth of other prisoners.

While some never received the money, others are alleged to have reaped large amounts.

“In total these 20 defendants that we are charging in these cases made off with more than $300,000 of money that should have gone to deserving and needy Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro’s office said all 20 have been charged, although most online dockets were not available on Wednesday.

“She had been stabbed over 30 times to vital parts of her body.”