Audit: $6.2 million improperly went to the incarcerated
Associated PressNEW ORLEANS — Louisiana has paid roughly $6.2 million in improper unemployment benefits to nearly 1,200 people locked up in jails or prisons, the state Legislative Auditor’s Office says in a report released Monday. It said criminal enterprises have targeted the state’s unemployment insurance program to take advantage of increased payouts during the coronavirus pandemic. The report noted two possible factors contributing to the improper payments, which amount to a tiny fraction of more than $8 billion in unemployment benefits paid during the pandemic. The report on payments to the incarcerated comes a month after legislative auditors found that the labor department sent more than $405 million in state and federal unemployment insurance benefits to more than 97,500 people during the pandemic who weren’t eligible.
History of this topic
Convicted killer charged with heading COVID-19 fraud scam
Associated Press
Unemployment fraud audit creates fresh questions for Newsom
The Independent
Audit: California jobless agency's inaction led to fraud
The Independent
California failed to heed warnings of unemployment benefit fraud for months, state audit says
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California officials say unemployment fraud now totals more than $11 billion
LA Times
Fraud, backlogs disrupt US unemployment benefit payments
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