Former R.I. Department of Labor and Training Employee Sentenced to Federal Prison

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – Ambulai R. Sheku, 37, of Providence, a former Senior Employment Interviewer with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT), today was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. the U.S. Attorney's office said today. He was accused of conspiring to commit mail fraud, theft of government funds and accessing a protected computer to commit fraud.

The haul was more than half a million dollars.

Here is the press release.

"At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith also ordered Sheku to serve 3 years supervised release upon completion of his prison term and to pay restitution in the amount of $486,366.

"Sheku’s sentence is announced by Acting United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch; Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police; and Michael C. Mikulka, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Region of the Department of Labor - Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations.

"At the time of his guilty plea, Sheku admitted that between June 2009 and February 2015, he used his authorized access to DLT computers and computer files to obtain unemployment benefits for himself and others to which they were not entitled. As part of the scheme Sheku changed the mailing addresses of legitimate unemployment insurance beneficiaries, thus causing banks to mail unemployment insurance benefits to individuals not entitled to receive them; without authorization, extended the expiration of benefits for members of the conspiracy; caused fraudulent claims, including claims by individuals who were employed and thus ineligible for unemployment benefits, to be approved and dispersed; increased the balance of unemployment insurance benefits; and fraudulently removed blocks or “stops” on benefit payments, thus allowing co-conspirators to continue receiving benefits to which they were not entitled.

"The scheme resulted in a loss to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training of approximately $508,691, of which approximately $350,606 were federal funds."

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