Two Starke County residents will have to pay back thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits they fraudulently collected, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. In a press release, the department says local courts have recently found three people guilty of unemployment insurance fraud.
Robin Reyes, 47, of North Judson, was ordered to repay $10,192 to the Department of Workforce Development, while Jeff Davis, 60, of Knox, will have to give back $9,750. Additionally, they were each sentenced to 545 days of probation, according to the press release.
Meanwhile, Michael Antecki, 27, of Valparaiso has to pay back over $12,000 and was sentenced to a year of probation.
The Department of Workforce Development says the convictions are the result of the efforts of its unemployment insurance fraud investigation taskforce. It looks for claims containing false, misreported, or unreported information.
The department encourages residents to report suspected unemployment fraud and abuse online, to make sure benefits only go to those who are eligible.
