Press Releases
02/02/2024
Meriden Man Charged With Unemployment Compensation Fraud, Larceny
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Rocky Hill, CT) - A Meriden man has been arrested and charged with illegally collecting more than $29,000 in Unemployment Compensation benefits.
Eddie Taveras-Cruz, age 40, of Meriden, was arrested on January 30, 2024 by Inspectors from the Statewide Prosecution Bureau of the Office of the Chief State's Attorney and charged with Unemployment Compensation Fraud in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 31a-273(f)(2) and Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-122(a)(4).
The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Statewide Prosecution Bureau’s 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, Taveras-Cruz fraudulently collected approximately $29,335 in unemployment benefits from January 23, 2021 to September 11, 2021. Taveras-Cruz was working full time and failed to report his wages while he was collecting the unemployment benefits.
Taveras-Cruz was released on a $15,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, G.A. No. 14, on February 7, 2024. The charges against Taveras-Cruz are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty.
Unemployment Compensation Fraud in excess of $500 is a Class D felony punishable by not less than 1 year nor more than 5 years in prison and/or up to a $5,000 fine. Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community is a Class B felony punishable by not less than 1 year nor more than 20 years in prison and/or up to a $15,000 fine. The Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit was established under a partnership between the Division of Criminal Justice and the state Department of Labor to investigate and prosecute alleged fraud in the unemployment compensation program. It is financed with funds provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Elena Palermo of the Statewide Prosecution Bureau.