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Three Individuals Plead to Unemployment Insurance Benefit Fraud

Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that three individuals have pleaded this week to unemployment insurance benefit fraud of nearly $60,000.

"We have picked up right where we left off last year in aggressively prosecuting individuals who have stolen unemployment insurance benefits, and we will continue to do so long as people continue to think they can defraud the government without getting caught," said Attorney General Kilmartin.

Susan Brown (age 58), of Warren, R.I., pleaded nolo contendere today before Superior Court Magistrate Patrick Burke to one count of obtaining money under false pretenses for collecting more than $14,000 in unemployment insurance benefits on or about dates between February 2, 2010 and January 3, 2012 while she was employed at Access Healthcare Inc. in Warren, RI.

Brown was sentenced to seven years of probation and ordered to pay $14,357 in restitution at a rate of no less than $175 per month.

Richard Rainville (age 53), of Woonsocket, R.I., pleaded nolo contendere yesterday before Superior Court Justice Joseph Montalbano to one count of obtaining money under false pretenses for collecting more than $18,000 in unemployment insurance benefits on or about dates between September 3, 2011 and September 19, 2013 while he was employed at First Student Management, LLC, in Lincoln, RI.

Rainville was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $18,705, of which $2,000 was paid on the day of the plea and the remainder at a rate of no less than $288 per month.

David Donahue (age 56), of East Providence, R.I., pleaded nolo contendere yesterday before Justice Montalbano to one count of obtaining money under false pretenses for collecting more than $26,000 in unemployment insurance benefits on or about dates between January 1, 2009 and November 30, 2012 while he was employed at Hudson Liquid Asphalts and Petro Holdings.

Donahue was sentenced to ten years or probation and ordered to pay $26,092 in restitution at a rate of no less than $221 per month.

The cases were initiated by RI DLT fraud investigators and then referred to the Rhode Island State Police where the investigations were led by Investigator Michael Douglas. Special Assistant Attorney General Carole L. McLaughlin prosecuted the cases on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.

The Office of Attorney General is assigned a prosecutor devoted exclusively to prosecuting fraud cases referred by the RI DLT involving unemployment insurance benefits fraud, workers' compensation fraud, prevailing wage violations, and labor standards violations. The prosecutor in this position is solely responsible for screening, charging, prosecuting, tracking, and reporting case results to RI DLT and the Office of Attorney General.

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