Simsbury Substitute Teacher Charged With Larceny, Unemployment Compensation Fraud

A Canton woman was arrested Friday and charged with illegally collecting unemployment compensation benefits by failing to report all of her earnings from working as a substitute teacher in Simsbury.

Sharon M. Avruch, 66, of 80 Boulder Ridge, Canton, was charged with one count each of larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community and unemployment compensation fraud.

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.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Avruch fraudulently collected approximately $5,899 in unemployment benefits from November 2012 through March 2014 by under-reporting the income she earned working as a substitute teacher for the Simsbury Board of Education.

Avruch was released on a $10,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court on Dec. 17. 

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 one year nor more than five years in prison and/or up to a $5,000 fine.

The case is being prosecuted by the Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit, a partnership established by the Division of Criminal Justice and the Department of Labor to investigate and prosecute fraud in the unemployment compensation program. It is financed with funds provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.