McCORDSVILLE — The Indiana Office of Workforce Development this week released a list of 38 Hoosiers who were recently caught fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits — including a McCordsville man.
Thomas G. Wrzalinski, 47, 9699 Brooks Drive in McCordsville, whose welfare fraud case dates back to June 2015, was ordered to repay $12,178 to the state’s workforce development office, according to a news release.
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development continually analyzes wage reports as well as data from businesses on new hires in an effort to track who is employed and receiving compensation for their work.
The agency’s unemployment insurance fraud investigation task force traces information for individuals who are believed to have intentionally provided false information about their employment status in order to fraudulently claim benefits, according to the news release.
Wrzalinski’s Sullivan County case — which concluded in September when he was sentenced to one year on home detention followed by 18 months on probation — was part of an ongoing effort by the office of workforce development to crack down on those fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits after finding work.
More than $750,000 has been ordered to be repaid to workforce development since June 2016, a news release states.
The office of workforce development encourages residents to report people they suspect might be collecting unemployment benefits illegally; reports may be made anonymously online at in.gov/dwd/fraud.
