Eighteen arrested for UI-benefit fraud

PROVIDENCE – State Police and Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin said this month 18 people have been arrested in an investigation of unemployment-benefit claims that discovered more than $300,000 fraudulent collections, The Associated Press reported.
State Police Col. Steven O’Donnell, Kilmartin and R.I. Department of Labor and Training Director Charles F. Fogarty announced results of the investigation on Oct. 9 and said that “more arrests are expected in the near future,” the AP said.
The officials said the 18 people arrested on had been arraigned on felony charges in Providence and been released on personal recognizance. Eight are from Providence.
Authorities said the alleged frauds range from $6,000 to $38,000.
The AP said that the attorney general’s office and Department of Labor and Training began collaborating last year on investigations of benefit fraud and employers’ failure to pay wages. The effort has resulted in court-ordered restitution of about $280,000. •

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