Secaucus Woman Accused Of Illegally Collecting $19K In Unemployment

SECAUCUS, NJ — A Secaucus woman has been indicted on charges that she illegally collected unemployment from the state of New Jersey while she was employed full time with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn.

The Secaucus woman is Brianna Larkins, 34.

She was indicted on a charge of third-degree theft by deception; prosecutors say she illegally collected $19,659 in unemployment insurance benefits.

Her indictment was announced Monday by Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin.

According to the Attorney General, Larkins collected benefits for the claim period beginning on March 20, 2020 through December 5, 2020. However, subpoenaed records confirm that she was employed full-time with the Brooklyn DA during that time.

It is unknown exactly what her job was for the Brooklyn District Attorney.

Had the New Jersey Department of Labor been aware of Larkins’ full-time employment, which she allegedly intentionally failed to disclose, she would have been ineligible for unemployment benefits, said Platkin.

She could face prison time if found guilty: Third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. Fourth-degree crimes carry a sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Acting Attorney General Platkin and Labor Commissioner Asaro-Angelo urged members of the public and employers to report cases of suspected unemployment benefits fraud by visiting the NJDOL online portal or calling the NJDOL fraud hotline at (609) 777-4304.

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