Meriden Man Fraudulently Collected $29K In Unemployment: Officials

MERIDEN, CT — A Meriden man is accused of illegally collecting more than $29,000 in Unemployment Compensation benefits, according to officials.

Eddie Taveras-Cruz, 40, was arrested Jan. 30 by inspectors from the Statewide Prosecution Bureau of the Office of the Chief State's Attorney. He was charged with unemployment compensation fraud and first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community.

Officials said the arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Statewide Prosecution Bureau’s Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney following a complaint by the Connecticut Department of Labor.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Taveras-Cruz is accused of fraudulently collecting approximately $29,335 in unemployment benefits from Jan. 23, 2021 to Sept. 11, 2021.

Taveras-Cruz was working full time and failed to report his wages while he was collecting the unemployment benefits, officials wrote in a news release.

Taveras-Cruz was released after posting a $15,000 bond with a court date of Feb. 7.