Home Winchester man convicted of defrauding Virginia Employment Commission, must pay $100K
Public Safety, Virginia

Winchester man convicted of defrauding Virginia Employment Commission, must pay $100K

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

Miyares announced today that his Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit has secured another conviction.

Ajarhi Roberts of Winchester was convicted in Winchester City Circuit Court of felony to obtain money by false pretense.

After the conviction, Roberts was sentenced to five years in prison, with all but four months suspended, on the condition of supervised probation and payment of restitution. He was ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution to the Virginia Employment Commission.

The conviction is the result of a joint investigation by Virginia State Police, The U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General and the United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General.

“Unemployment fraud is a cruel way of taking advantage of systems designed to help Virginians down on their luck. My Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit is dedicated to bringing these cases to justice,” Miyares said.

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.