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STRATFORD, Conn. -- A Stratford woman was arrested Tuesday and charged with fraudulently collecting almost $9,000 in unemployment compensation benefits.
Denise Lennon-Smith, 57, was arrested by inspectors from the Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney and charged with one count each of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and unemployment compensation fraud.
The arrest is the result of an investigation following a complaint by the Connecticut Department of Labor.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Lennon-Smith under-reported the wages she received from working for two businesses in order to collect approximately $8,599 in unemployment benefits from October 2011 through January 2013.
Lennon-Smith was released on a $10,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court Tuesday, May 3, according to officials.
Larceny in the first degree 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 up to a $15,000 fine.
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 up to a $5,000 fine.
The case is being prosecuted by the Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit, a partnership established by the Division of Criminal Justice and Department of Labor to investigate and prosecute fraud in the unemployment compensation program.
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