Roslindale Woman Indicted on 72 Counts of Unemployment Fraud
A Roslindale woman was indicted on 72 counts of unemployment fraud by a Suffolk County grand jury Monday — one for each week she collected unemployment benefits while allegedly working, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley.
Between May 2009 and November 2010, authorities say Peggy Soto, 41, collected more than $50,000 in benefits in addition to the $56,000 she earned from her job, which she failed to disclose to the Department of Unemployment Assistance. Each week, she allegedly notified the department that she was not working but was able and willing to work.
Soto also faces charges of motor vehicle insurance fraud, larceny over $250, and attempted larceny over $250.
In October 2009, while she was allegedly fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits, Soto also allegedly attempted to make a fraudulent insurance claim: After getting into a car accident while driving under a canceled insurance policy, authorities say Soto reinstated the policy, and reported the accident with fraudulent information as to when it happened. The claim was denied upon an investigation by the insurance company.
The case grew out of investigations conducted by the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s Department of Unemployment Assistance (EOLWDDUA), which were referred to the Attorney General’s Office.
Soto will be arraigned at a later date in Suffolk and Norfolk Superior Courts, according to the Attorney General.
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