A Family Affair

Family businesses are good for the community. Local residents invest in products and services provided by these hometown business owners, who in turn pour money back into the local economy. (Better schools, roads and parks are built, making small towns and cities across America great places to live and work.) An article published on NJ.com details the story of one Newark family, who had a lucrative business going, but the public didn’t benefit from this business; instead, it was robbed.

The story states this greedy family operated an unemployment fraud business that bilked more than $2 million dollars from the State of New Jersey unemployment benefits program. A 57-year-old mother and her 37-year-old daughter filed bogus unemployment benefit claims for relatives and other people, some who were deceased. Over approximately a three-year period, the two received more than $585,000 for their criminal efforts.

The mother and the daughter were sentenced to 15 years each for their part in the unemployment benefits scam. The daughter was ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution, while the mother will pay $15,000. The father and brother are currently facing charges alleging they stole nearly $1.5 million in unemployment benefits.

The nation’s economic situation has been hard on many dedicated workers, who have paid into their state’s unemployment benefits program through taxes. This unscrupulous family preyed on the labors of others and profited from their unfortunate situations. A positive outcome of this case lies in the Judge’s harsh sentence, proving that there is a “no-tolerance” stance against unemployment benefits fraud.

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