Clinton Man Charged With Illegally Collecting $13K In Unemployment Benefits

CLINTON, CT — A Clinton man is accused of collecting more than $13,000 in unemployment benefits while he was working in East Haven, according to authorities. Frank A. Barabas Jr., 40, of West Main Street in Clinton, was arrested on Thursday.

Barabas was arrested by Inspectors from the Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney and charged with one count each of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and unemployment compensation fraud. (To sign up for Clinton breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

The arrest is the result of an investigation into a complaint by the Connecticut Department of Labor, which administers the Unemployment Compensation program, according to a press release from the Division of Criminal Justice.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Barabas fraudulently collected approximately $13,196 in unemployment benefits from April through September 2012 when, in fact, he was allegedly working for an East Haven heating and cooling contractor.

Barabas was released on a $10,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court on May 11.

Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community is a Class B felony punishable by not less than one year nor more than 20 years in prison and/or up to a $15,000 fine. Unemployment Compensation Fraud in excess of $500 is a Class D felony punishable by not less than 1 year nor more than 5 years in prison and/or up to a $5,000 fine.

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