State finds 41 people fraudulently filing for unemployment

Charges have been filed against 41 Missourians for fraudulently receiving unemployment insurance benefits from the state, and they have been ordered to pay more than $190,000 in restitution.

The individuals were identified through routine audits by the Missouri Department of Labor's Division of Employment Security, according to a news release. They were found to have provided false information on weekly applications for unemployment benefits, which constitutes a class-C felony. The individual restitution amounts range from $1,000 to $11,000.

When the department determines a claimant has been overpaid or fraudulently received benefits, those charges are credited back to the claimant's employer. The employer receives a credit that can be applied to its next billing or refunded upon request, the release said.

The department is looking to deny future benefits to those who commit fraud; current Missouri law allows those found guilty of fraud to collect unemployment benefits despite having outstanding penalties.

Penalties during the past few years have totaled more than $11 million, according to the release. So far in 2009, the department has collected more than $500,000 in restitution from cases that have been addressed in previous years.