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AG gets indictments, guilty pleas in Virginia unemployment fraud cases

Rebecca Barnabi
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The Office of the Attorney General Jason Miyares has produced six indictments of unemployment compensation fraud, as well as 11 guilty pleas for obtaining money by false pretenses.

The Attorney General’s Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit secured the guilty pleas between August 2023 and November 2023. The Commonwealth will receive $91,756 in restitution to compensate for the fraudulent filings during the pandemic.

  • Jeremy G. Gibson of Gloucester County
  • Ryan J. Parnell of Gloucester County
  • Sorey Kaba of Henrico County
  • Detresha Tansimore of Henrico County
  • Edgar Teel of Henrico County
  • Denzel Wilson of Henrico County

“Our unemployment system exists to support Virginians when they’re down. This system was scammed and taken advantage of repeatedly during the pandemic, hurting our Commonwealth and our fellow Virginians,” Attorney General Jason Miyares said. “I’m proud of the work my office has done and will continue to do to hold these bad actors accountable and restore trust in our unemployment system.”

The cases, which remain open and ongoing, were the result of a collaborative effort between the Virginia Employment Commission, the Office of the Attorney General, and investigations conducted by the Virginia Marine Police and the Virginia Office of the State Inspector General.

The Virginia Employment Commission asked Attorney General Miyares in March 2022 to help prosecute fraudulent claims for unemployment compensation.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.