Employees of Ellington Company Charged in Unemployment Fraud Case

ELLINGTON, CT — Five employees of an Ellington-based asbestos abatement business have now been charged in an investigation into illegal unemployment collections, the chief state's attorney said Monday.

The fifth employee of Ellington-based Bestech Inc., was arrested Monday and charged with illegally collecting nearly $58,000 in unemployment compensation benefits.

The arrest is the result of an investigation by the Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney following a complaint by the Connecticut Department of Labor.

Victor M. Martinez 46, of Hartford, was charged with one count each of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and felony unemployment compensation fraud, according to the chief state’s attorney.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Martinez collected approximately $57,648 in benefits from February 2004 through March 2012. He was not authorized to work in the United States and collected the benefits using a Social Security number that was not assigned to him, according to the warrant.

Martinez was arraigned in New Britain Superior Court, where the case was continued until Dec. 15 and bond was set at $10,000, according to the chief state’s attorney.

Three other Bestech employees were arrested Friday and a fifth was charged in July. The investigation is continuing and additional arrests are expected, according to the chief state’s attorney.

Alex Enroque Argeta, 32, of East Hartford, was charged Friday with one count each of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community, first-degree identity theft and felony unemployment compensation fraud. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Argueta collected approximately $54,831 in benefits from November 2005 through June 2013.

Juan Castellon, 30, of 88 Great Hill Road, East Hartford, was charged Friday with one count each of larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community, identity theft in the first degree, and felony unemployment compensation fraud, according to the chief state's attorney. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Castellon collected approximately $33,672 in benefits from September 2006 through April 2013, according to the chief state's attorney.

Elio Vasquez, 37, of Hartford, was charged with one count each of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and felony unemployment compensation fraud, according to the chief state's attorney. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Vasquez collected approximately $31,692 in benefits from February 2009 through June 2012.

All three have been arraigned in New Britain Superior Court, and the cases were continued until Dec. 15, 2016. Bond was set at $10,000 for Argueta and $5,000 each for Castellon and Vasquez, according to the chief state's attorney.

On July 7, another Bestech employee, Jefry Antonio Chirinos-Alvarado, was charged with collecting approximately $62,280 in unemployment compensation benefits using the Social Security number assigned to a New York man.

Chirinos-Alvarado entered a plea of guilty to second-degree larceny by defrauding a public community, a Class C felony, on Sept. 29 and was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended after one year served, with three years of probation, according to the chief state's attorney. He was ordered to make full restitution to the Department of Labor as a condition of his probation, according to the chief state's attorney.

Larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community and identity theft in the first degree are Class B felonies 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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