Fourteen people have been charged with obtaining unemployment benefits from the District of Columbia government even though they were employed at the time.
The charges were announced Thursday by U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen and other authorities. The defendants made off with more than $250,000 in fraudulent benefits, Machen’s office said.
Each is charged with first-degree felony fraud, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Charging documents show each defendant received between $13,000 and $23,000 in benefits. The defendants are from D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
The arrests followed an investigation by inspectors general for the Labor Department and the District government.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
