Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that a Vineland man was convicted at trial of stealing more than $15,000 from the State of New Jersey by fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits while he was in jail and ineligible to receive them.
Bruce Garrett, 63, of Vineland, was found guilty yesterday afternoon by a Cumberland County jury of third-degree theft by deception following a trial before Superior Court Judge Cristen P. D’Arrigo.
Third-degree crimes carry a potential sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000. Judge D’Arrigo scheduled sentencing for Garrett for May 29.
The state presented testimony and evidence at trial that from March 26, 2009 through Sept. 21, 2009, Garrett collected $15,768 in unemployment benefits while serving a sentence for driving while intoxicated in the Cumberland County Jail.
In order to continue to receive unemployment benefits, a recipient must certify, among other things, that he or she is available to work. Garrett continued to receive benefits while in jail because fraudulent certifications were submitted for him via the Internet each week, or by phone in a couple of instances, that he was “available to go to work immediately,” when in fact he was in jail and ineligible to receive benefits.