COLUMBUS, Ohio — An investigation by the Ohio Inspector General revealed that a temporary employee at the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services fraudulently disbursed over $565,000 in pandemic-related unemployment assistance funds.
The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services oversaw the distribution of billions in federally funded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Funds. In fiscal year 2021, with relaxed eligibility criteria, the department allocated approximately $7.6 billion.
The investigation uncovered that millions of dollars were fraudulently distributed, often by intermittent and temporary staff hired to manage the surge in claims. A collaborative investigative unit, including the Ohio Inspector General’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, was established to probe the issue.
The latest findings pinpointed Renita Carr, a former intermittent customer service representative, who improperly released nearly $566,000 across 28 claims, exceeding her training and authority. Five of these claims benefited her friends, relatives, or acquaintances. Carr manipulated the system by searching for specific claimants, overriding eligibility and fraud flags, and deleting fact-finding data.
Carr was employed directly by the department from May 27, 2021, to Aug. 6, 2021. Prior to that, she worked as a subcontractor for Insight Global, handling customer service calls related to unemployment applications and claims from Jan. 19, 2021, to May 21, 2021.
The Ohio Inspector General has forwarded Carr’s case to the Franklin County prosecutor and the Ohio auditor for further action.
This follows a January investigation that identified $300,000 in misallocated funds by two other intermittent employees.