Sellersburg resident Dwayne Loney, 40, pled guilty to unemployment insurance fraud in Clark County Circuit Court 3 on Aug. 16, 2018. Through the use of agency records, an Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) employee began an investigation and determined that Loney was working and receiving wages while claiming unemployment insurance benefits.
Loney was sentenced to one year of HIP (Home Incarceration Program) and one and a half years of probation. He also was ordered to repay DWD $10,069 for the benefits he fraudulently collected.
DWD receives wage reports and new hire data from Hoosier employers documenting who is employed and receiving compensation. The agency uses this information to ensure people are not collecting unemployment insurance benefits while working.
Since 2013, Indiana courts have ordered fraudsters to repay millions in restitution to the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. “Combatting fraud preserves employer-paid monies in the trust fund for those individuals whom are truly in need of unemployment insurance benefits,” said Regina Ashley, DWD, Chief Unemployment Insurance and Workforce Solutions Officer.
