November 4, 1998

Three Charged In Separate Unemployment Insurance Fraud Indictments; Another Defendant Arraigned Last Week

Roger F. Jones, 56, of 1524 Stuyvesant Ave., Trenton, was named in a four-count indictment alleging two instances of Theft by Deception, a third-degree offense, and two instances of Making Unsworn Falsification, a fourth-degree offense.

Count One charges Jones with allegedly receiving approximately $11,815 in State of N.J. unemployment insurance benefits between Oct. 15, 1993 and June 24, 1994, by failing to report that he was employed; Count Two alleges false statements on a Feb. 6, 1994 claim for unemployment benefits that Jones submitted. Count Three charges Jones with allegedly receiving approximately $1,547 in State of N.J. unemployment insurance benefits between June 6 and Aug. 28, 1995, by failing to report that he was employed; Count Four alleges false statements on a July 15, 1995 claim for unemployment benefits in which he reported no holiday or vacation pay for the two weeks ending July 15, 1995.

Roland Alexander, 41, 189 Drift Ave., Lawrenceville, was charged in a three-count indictment with alleged instances of Theft by Deception, a third-degree offense, and Making Unsworn Falsification, a fourth-degree offense.

Alexander allegedly received approximately $1,734 in State of N.J. unemployment insurance benefits between Sept. 13 and Nov. 21, 1993, by failing to report that he was employed; and approximately $1,721 in State of N.J. unemployment insurance benefits between July 9 and Oct. 13, 1994, again by failing to report that he was employed, as charged in Counts One and Two of the indictment. Count Three charges Alexander with making an Aug. 28 1994 mail claim for unemployment insurance benefits stating that he received no vacation benefits for the previous two weeks.

Keisha M. Miller, 29, of 367-71 Kerrigan Blvd., Newark, was charged in a one-count indictment returned today by a State Grand Jury. Miller, between March 20 and Dec. 7, 1993, obtained approximately $10,725 in unemployment insurance benefits while she was employed.

Last week a Franklin Park woman pleaded not guilty to an accusation charging her with accepting approximately $6,175 in state unemployment benefits between June 7 and Nov. 19, 1993, and by failing to report that she had returned to work on a per diem basis.

Laura S. Spears, of 16 Veros Lane, Franklin Park, pleaded not guilty before N.J. Superior Court Judge Joyce Munkacsi in Middlsex County on Oct. 29, 1998. Spears is seeking Pre-Trial Intervention in the matter since she has agreed to repay the total amount that she illegally received.

Jones, Alexander and Miller are expected to be arraigned on their indictments after their cases are assigned to N.J. Superior Court Judges.

Citizens' tips and computer cross matching were responsible for the investigations that led to the prosecutions of Jones, Alexander, Miller and Spears by the Division of Criminal Justice's Labor Prosecutions Unit.

"Technology now allows us to link data from computers that dispense unemployment benefits with those that contain workers' earnings," Verniero said. "Workers who receive unemployment benefits and don't report wages, regardless of the amount they receive, may be subject to computer-assisted investigation and prosecution.

"The vigilance of concerned citizens remains the a prime method of identifying those who commit any insurance crime," Verniero said.

"If you have information about insurance crime or fraud in any form -- auto, liability, workers compensation, or unemployment - call the toll-free number we've established in the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor at 1-877-55-FRAUD."

Paul H. Zoubek, director of the Division of Criminal Justice, credited the N.J. Department of Labor's Bureau of Benefit Payment Control with developing these cases.

An indictment is a formal charge made by a grand jury based upon their finding that a crime has been committed. An indictment is not proof of any defendants' guilt and may be returned by a simple majority of the 23-member body.

Despite Indictment, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and New Jersey law.

The state is represented by Deputy Attorneys General Terry Cunningham and Richard Vuernick.