Nevada inmates collect millions in unemployment
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Nevada's legislative auditor says it's "pretty outrageous" that some of the state's inmates have been able to collect millions of dollars in unemployment benefits while sitting behind bars.
A state audit released Thursday says the Employment Security Division paid as much as $5 million in unemployment benefits to inmates during the last three years.
Auditors reviewed 97,000 residents who filed claims in January and found that 67 of these claimants were incarcerated. Combined, that group illegally received $214,000 while behind bars.
The state wants its money back. Employment department director Frank Woodbeck says his agency will "prosecute to the fullest extent of the law" those who are incarcerated and filing for benefits.
The auditor's report called upon unemployment benefit administrators to implement tighter controls to ensure claims for jobless benefits are legitimate, including checking incarceration and death records.
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