Crime & Safety

Man Charged with Larceny for Collecting $13K+ in Unemployment Benefits While Working in Construction

The man was accused of fraudulently collecting $13,629 in unemployment benefits while working for an Oxford construction company.

A Bethel man was arrested Tuesday and charged with illegally collecting more than $13,000 in unemployment compensation while working in construction, according to a press release from the State of Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.

Ajredin Islami, 45, of 73 Hoyts Hill Road, Bethel, was charged with one count each of first degree larceny by defrauding a public community and unemployment compensation fraud.

The arrest comes as the result of an investigation following a complaint by the Connecticut Department of Labor. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Islami fraudulently collected approximately $13,629 in unemployment benefits from May through November 2013 when he was working for an Oxford construction company.

Islami was released on a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court on April 21, 2016.

If found guilty of the charges, he could face up to 20 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.

The case is being prosecuted by the Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit and financed with funds provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The charges are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty.

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