State v. Mr. F (DMC No. 13324) – (26 Counts) Felony Benefits Fraud ($6,200 Misappropriated from Unemployment Insurance), Fraudulent Schemes and Theft – Reduced to Misdemeanor False Statements with Zero Days in Jail – Maricopa County Superior Court (Case No. CR2015-000358).

Mr F had previously worked for a credit card processing company which was owned by his parents. He was ultimately let go from that job because of various problems. However, his parents did not tell him that they kept him on the payroll at minimum wage, and then direct deposited those paychecks to a bank account that he did not know about. They did this in order so that their son would not lose health insurance and would be able to pay child support that came out of that bank account. Mr. F, unbeknownst to his parents, then began applying for unemployment benefits.

After that point in time, he went to work for another payment solutions company for approximately 6 year. The company was audited by the Department of Economic Security’s Inspector General, Fraud Department, Criminal Investigator. It was discovered that Mr. F had received approximately $6,200 in benefits for unemployment while he was on his parents’ payroll. We became involved in the case and immediately contacted the Assistant Attorney General who was handling the prosecution. We explained the situation and made full restitution as quickly as possible. The Prosecutor still felt that Mr. F should have known he received benefits for 26 months, because his child support payment was still being made. However, he agreed to dismiss all but 1 Count of False Statements per ARS 23-785, which was amended down to a Misdemeanor, and included a $166 fine. Mr. F was originally facing quite a bit of prison time, but it was ultimately resolved with a small fine and no jail whatsoever, and he only has a Misdemeanor on his record.