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Stamford Security Guard Charged With Collecting Unemployment While Working

STAMFORD, Conn. -- A Stamford security guard has been charged with collecting unemployment while working, according to the Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney.

A Stamford resident has been charged with collecting unemployment benefits while working.

A Stamford resident has been charged with collecting unemployment benefits while working.

Photo Credit: File

Inspectors arrested and charged Joshua Vargas, 30, Friday with illegally collecting almost $5,000 in unemployment compensation benefits while he was working as a security guard for a Greenwich business, said the report. 

He was charged with one count each of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and unemployment compensation fraud, according to the state's attorney.

The arrest follows an investigation into a complaint by the Connecticut Department of Labor, said the report.

In the arrest warrant affidavit, Vargas is alleged to have fraudulently collected about $4,884 in unemployment benefits from May 2012 through February 2013 when, in fact, he was working as a guard for a Greenwich security business.

He was released on a $10,000 nonsurety bond and is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court on Thursday to answer the charges, said the state's attorney.

First-degree larceny by defrauding a public community is a Class B felony punishable by not less than one year nor more than 20 years in prison and/or up to a $15,000 fine, according to the report.

Unemployment compensation fraud in excess of $500 is a Class D felony punishable by not less than one year nor more than five years in prison and/or up to a $5,000 fine, the state's attorney said.

The case is being prosecuted by the Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit, according to the state's attorney.

The unit was established under a partnership between the Division of Criminal Justice and the Department of Labor to investigate and prosecute fraud in the unemployment compensation program.

The investigation is financed with funds provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.

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