Crime & Safety
Cranston Man Must Repay $17,000 in Unemployment he Collected while Employed
Adrian George, 44, of Cranston, allegedly fraudulently collected unemployment benefits while working for a Cranston construction company.
A 44-year-old Cranston man owes the state $17,128 and will serve 10 years of probation after pleading no contest on Tuesday to charges of obtaining money under false pretenses for illegally collecting unemployment benefits while working.
Adrian George, of 29 Randall St., Cranston, reportedly collected unemployment benefits while holding a job at Cherokee Construction in Cranston between 2005 and 2010, Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin said.
George entered the plea of no contest before Providence Superior Court Special Magistrate Patrick T. Burke, who sentenced him to the 10 years of probation and ordered restitution for the full amount he collected.
George reportedly kept calling the voice hotline to certify his unemployment insurance and claimed to be unemployed even though he was working, Kilmartin said.
“My office is committed to prosecuting individuals who defraud the system by collecting unemployment insurance benefits while employed,” the attorney general said. “Unemployment insurance is an important safety net for those struggling to find a job. We need to ensure the system remains available for those who truly need it, not for those who use it to line their own pockets.
"Unemployment Insurance provides critical support to thousands of Rhode Islanders who are actively seeking work," said Charles J. Fogarty, director of the RI Department of Labor and Training. "We work diligently to root out those who are abusing this valuable program."
Rhode Island State Police Detective Sergeant Christopher J. Dicomitis of the Auto Theft and Insurance Fraud Unit led the investigations. Special Assistant Attorney General Genevieve Allaire Johnson prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General and the State of Rhode Island. Funded by RI DLT, Allaire Johnson prosecutes all unemployment insurance fraud, worker’s compensation fraud, prevailing wage violations and labor standards fraud cases.
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