New York Atty. General Cuomo: Four LI residents stole unemployment

Long Island Business News, Jun 15, 2009 by Michael H Samuels

Four Long Island residents were among 30 arrested and charged with illegally obtaining unemployment benefits while on the state's payroll.

State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced the arrests as part of a sweep targeting abuses to the financially strapped state unemployment system.

The four Long Island residents were:

Carmen Alvarez, 38, of Islandia

Aida Licata, 48, of Center Moriches

Donna Ryall, 51, of Deer Park

Jimmy Rodriguez, 48, of Williston Park

They are accused of stealing thousands of dollars from New York state by falsely certifying that they were qualified for unemployment insurance benefits through the Department of Labor's electronic certification process.

To qualify for unemployment in New York, one must truthfully certify by phone or Internet, on a weekly basis, that he or she has not worked more than four days that week or earned more than $405 that week, the Attorney General's office stated.

The state Department of Labor has a system in place to routinely cross-check state employees against individuals receiving unemployment benefits. According to the Attorney General's office, the four Long Island defendants all lied to the Labor Department and falsely certified that they were eligible for benefits. Several of them are accused of falsely certifying their ineligibility to work for 15 or more consecutive weeks, stealing thousands of dollars from the state's unemployment insurance funds.

The fund provides financial relief to thousands of New Yorkers who have lost their jobs.

The former and current state employees who were arrested were charged with grand larceny in the third and fourth degrees, falsifying business records in the first degree and petit larceny. The charges come with sentences covering four to seven years in jail.

Arrests were also made in New York, Bronx, Kings, Queens, Richmond, Albany, Dutchess, Rockland and Westchester counties.