WARSAW — The Indiana Department of Workforce Development receives wage reports and new hire data from Hoosier employers documenting who is employed and receiving compensation. The agency’s unemployment insurance fraud investigation taskforce examines claims of individuals who intentionally provide false, misreported or unreported information in order to fraudulently claim benefits.

As a result of the task force’s investigations, local courts recently found these individuals guilty of unemployment insurance fraud:

• John L. Cantrell of Warsaw was sentenced to one year to be served in Kosciusko County Jail and four years of probation and ordered to repay $79,909 for the benefits he fraudulently collected.
• Shameca S. Robertson of Indianapolis was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to repay $3,942 for the benefits she fraudulently collected.
• Terry Owens of South Bend was sentenced to two and one-half years of probation and ordered to repay $16,372 for the benefits he fraudulently collected.
• William Anderson of Gary was sentenced to eighteen months of probation and ordered to repay $29,000 for the benefits he fraudulently collected.
• Tracy Sibande of Indianapolis was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to repay $22,466 for the benefits she fraudulently collected.
• Jason T. Boles of Bedford was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to repay $15,733 for the benefits he fraudulently collected.
• Charles M. Griffin of Largo was sentenced to four years of probation and ordered to repay $17,196 for the benefits he fraudulently collected.
• Tonya S. Linkous of Richmond was sentenced to two years of jail and six years of probation and ordered to repay $32,331 for the benefits she fraudulently collected.

Over the past three years, DWD has increased its efforts to identify and prosecute individuals who committed unemployment insurance fraud. This has resulted in a 63 percent reduction in Indiana’s fraud rate since 2013, which has accounted for savings of more than $18 million.

You can help combat unemployment insurance fraud and abuse by reporting it online at www.in.gov/dwd/fraud. Your efforts will assist the agency in ensuring that tax dollars are spent wisely and unemployment insurance benefits are only paid to people who are eligible to receive them. You do not need to provide your name or any other identifying information in order to file a complaint in regards to unemployment insurance fraud.