A Mount Orab man was found guilty on January 29 of Unemployment Compensation falsification the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services announced. Charges had been filed by ODJFS, which administers the Unemployment Compensation program in Ohio.

An investigation by ODJFS revealed William Strange, 52, filed claims for Unemployment Compensation while he was employed at Stonewall Service and intentionally failed to report the income while collecting benefits. The court found that Strange was employed when he received $6,100 for 20 weeks in April, 2001 through September, 2001.

Clermont County Municipal Court Judge James A. Shriver sentenced Strange to 90 days and fined him $250 plus court costs of $80. The judge then suspended the 90-day sentence on the condition Strange makes full restitution to the state of Ohio within 90 days. He then placed Strange on 2 years' probation and ordered him to perform 40 hours of community service

Unemployment Compensation is payable to workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own and meet other eligibility criteria. Wages earned while drawing Unemployment Compensation must be reported by claimants so that benefits can be reduced or disallowed during any week of employment.

ODJFS identified Strange through a routine computer cross-match of employer payroll records with those of Unemployment Compensation benefit recipients to detect the overpayments. In 2002, ODJFS identified $13.8 million in overpayments. Fraudulent overpayments accounted for about $11.3 million of that amount and $2.5 million account for non-fraudulent overpayments. Criminal convictions were obtained in more than 230 of the most flagrant cases in 2002. ODJFS aggressively pursues repayment of fraud cases and imposes other administrative penalties.

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For more information contact ODJFS Communications, 614-466-6650.