Spring Valley man accused of scamming system for unwarranted unemployment benefits

DA’S PRESS RELEASE

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe on Wednesday announced that 39-year-old Jason Beitel of 5 Banker Street, Spring Valley, New York has been charged with one count of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, a class “E” felony after he allegedly benefitted from the unemployment insurance system despite being gainfully employed.

District Attorney Zugibe said, “Those who commit unemployment insurance fraud are not only cheating the system, they are stealing directly from the taxpayers. This defendant will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

According to the charges, between August 2015 and April 2016, Beitel collected unemployment insurance benefits to which he was not entitled because he was, in fact, employed. An investigation by the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office Special Investigations Unit revealed the defendant was performing home improvement services and receiving payments from multiple customers.

It is alleged that Beitel fraudulently submitted two WA-1 forms, indicating he had not performed work on a paid or unpaid basis. Employers across the state contribute to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. When the Fund
is forced to pay out because of a fraudulent claim, the employers must pay more, meaning that consumers will pay more as well.

Beitel was arraigned in the Town of Ramapo Justice Court and released on $1000 bail. He is scheduled to return to Chestnut Ridge Justice Court on January 25, 2017. He faces a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison. Executive Assistant District Attorney Richard Kennison Moran is prosecuting the case.