Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that Joseph A. Carani, age 46, with a last known address of 134 Hawksley Avenue, Warwick, pleaded nolo contendere today before Providence Superior Court Justice William E. Carnes, Jr., to one count of obtaining money under false pretenses for fraudulently collecting more than $10,000 in unemployment insurance benefits.
Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that between November 15, 2008 and August 6, 2011, Joseph Carani failed to report his weekly earnings to the RI Department of Labor and Training (RIDLT) while he was employed with Samsyd Windows & Doors Company in Cranston RI.
Carani was sentenced to 10 years suspended with probation and ordered to pay full restitution in the amount of $10,305 to the State of Rhode Island.
"Today's plea announcement marks the second in the past week my office has successfully prosecuted an individual for unemployment insurance fraud in Rhode Island. We will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who abuses and defrauds our safety net programs," said Attorney General Kilmartin.
"Unemployment Insurance fraud is unacceptable," said Charles J. Fogarty, director of the RI Department of Labor and Training. "We will seek restitution from those who attempt to defraud the system by working and collecting concurrently."
Rhode Island State Police Detective Richard Ptaszek led the investigation. Special Assistant Attorney General Genevieve Allaire Johnson prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General and the State of Rhode Island. Funded by RI DLT, Allaire Johnson prosecutes all unemployment insurance fraud, worker's compensation fraud, prevailing wage violations and labor standards fraud cases.