Franklin Pierce
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 4, 2014
- Messages
- 28,804
- Likes
- 32,863
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is demanding a federal watchdog audit how many government workers are accepting “fraudulent unemployment benefits” while still collecting paychecks after discovering a handful of “rip-off artists” bilked taxpayers out of nearly half a million dollars.
In a Thursday letter to Labor Department Acting Deputy Inspector General Michael C. Mikulka, obtained by The Post, Ernst tallied up more than $405,000 taken in by just five federal employees “double-dipping” on the taxpayer dole.
One worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Health Administration and the IRS took more than $130,000 in unemployment benefits over six years on the job — and was even promoted several times.
One US Postal Service employee nabbed more than $109,000 in unemployment as part of a scheme across eight states that started in 2020.
Another USPS employee was convicted in Boston federal court in November 2023 of embezzling more than $90,000 and fraudulently obtaining unemployment benefits.
A Department of Labor worker also picked up an additional $46,000 in jobless benefits for around a year and a half while still on the federal payroll.
And an employee working full-time at the Social Security Administration cashed more than $30,000 in unemployment benefits between 2020 and 2021.
nypost.com
In a Thursday letter to Labor Department Acting Deputy Inspector General Michael C. Mikulka, obtained by The Post, Ernst tallied up more than $405,000 taken in by just five federal employees “double-dipping” on the taxpayer dole.
One worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Health Administration and the IRS took more than $130,000 in unemployment benefits over six years on the job — and was even promoted several times.
One US Postal Service employee nabbed more than $109,000 in unemployment as part of a scheme across eight states that started in 2020.
Another USPS employee was convicted in Boston federal court in November 2023 of embezzling more than $90,000 and fraudulently obtaining unemployment benefits.
A Department of Labor worker also picked up an additional $46,000 in jobless benefits for around a year and a half while still on the federal payroll.
And an employee working full-time at the Social Security Administration cashed more than $30,000 in unemployment benefits between 2020 and 2021.
Exclusive | Sen. Joni Ernst wants audit of feds cashing in on ‘fraudulent unemployment benefits’ after five took more than $400K
“If it weren’t for those darn whiz kids at DOGE, they might have gotten away with it,” Ernst told The Post.
nypost.com
