Home Contractor Accused of Unemployment Fraud

Jason Beitel of Spring Valley, New York faces one count of Offering a False Instrument For Filing in the First Degree, a class “E” Felony.

District Attorney Zugibe said, “Those who commit unemployment insurance fraud are not only

cheating the system, they are stealing directly from the taxpayers," Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe said in Wednesday's announcement. "This defendant will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

According to the charges, between August 2015 and April 2016, the 39-year-old collected unemployment insurance benefits to which he was not entitled because he was gainfully employed.

The Rockland County District Attorney’s Office Special Investigations Unit alleged that their investigation revealed Beitel was performing home improvement services and receiving payments from multiple customers. He is accused of submitting two WA-1 forms indicating he had not performed work on a paid or unpaid basis.

Employers across the state contribute to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. When the Fund is forced to pay out because of a fraudulent claim, the employers must pay more, meaning that consumers will pay more as well, Zugibe said.

Beitel was arraigned in the Town of Ramapo Justice Court and released on $1,000 bail. He is scheduled to return to Chestnut Ridge Justice Court on Jan. 25. He faces a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.

Executive Assistant District Attorney Richard Kennison Moran is prosecuting the case.