DLT: State police contacted over potential employee misconduct regarding UI division accounting

THE STATE Department of Labor and Training has referred a complaint involving possible employee criminal conduct to the state police for investigation.
THE STATE Department of Labor and Training has referred a complaint involving possible employee criminal conduct to the state police for investigation.

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Labor and Training has referred a complaint involving possible employee criminal conduct to the state police for investigation.

The alleged misconduct involves one or more employees of the department’s unemployment-insurance division.

Michael Healey, chief public affairs officer for DLT, said he could not say how many employees are involved, if they are still employed by the state department, and specifics about the accounting irregularities discovered by an unemployment-insurance manager. He said he could not discuss anything regarding personnel.

The discovery of the irregularities, during a routine fourth quarter audit on Feb. 13, triggered an internal investigation and evidence of possible wrongdoing by one or more employees, according to information from the DLT.

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State police were then notified immediately, DLT said. A state police spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment regarding the matter.

“Even one instance of alleged fraud is one too many. Our team takes preserving the public’s integrity very seriously,” DLT Director Scott R. Jensen said in a statement. “This incident demonstrates that our internal procedures to catch potential fraudulent and criminal activity are working.”

During the fourth quarter of 2014, UI staff received 18,013 Internet claims, 5,238 help emails and 20,115 telephone calls for assistance.

During 2014, UI staff processed 76,712 initial claims and DLT paid $184,240,972 in UI benefits.

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