Five people have been arrested for allegedly stealing money from the state’s unemployment trust fund via fraud and identity theft. The unemployment trust fund is now borrowing money from the feds to keep the checks coming for those out of work. Attorney General Jeff Landry says it takes money from those who need it.
“These people are accused of stealing thousands and thousands of dollars from the Unemployment Trust Fund, a fund that according to reports has been widdled down to 50 million dollars.”
Two of those arrested, Kayla Giles and Teri Thibodeaux allegedly ran a massive fraud scheme targeting unemployment programs in multiple states using 25 stolen identities to siphon off 300,000 dollars in total. Giles was already awaiting trial on a 2nd-degree murder charge related to a 2018 incident where she allegedly shot and killed her fiance in a Walmart parking lot. The three others alleged combined to steal about 20,000 dollars.
Landry asks the public to report anyone they suspect of committing insurance fraud to the National Center for Disaster Fraud at 866-720-5721.
“We will find you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law in you defraud the unemployment trust fund.”
Landry says more arrests are likely to come…
“These arrests today are just the beginning, we are investigating many individuals and suspect there are countless others who have illegally deprived our unemployment trust fund.”
Comments