Williamsburg man convicted of unemployment benefits fraud

A Williamsburg man has been ordered to serve 100 days in jail for defrauding Iowa's unemployment insurance program, a state agency said Thursday.

Iowa Workforce Development said Paul Meade, 55, has been convicted of fraudulent practice in the third degree. Meade, the department said, filed for unemployment insurance benefits between Dec. 27, 2015, and June 25, 2016. During that time, though, Meade was being paid by Whirlpool Corp.

Meade pleaded guilty to the charge on July 20, court filings show.

The state department said Meade fraudulently received $10,747 in benefits during the six-month period. He will have to repay $12.359.05, which includes a more than $1,600 penalty.

David Steen, an attorney for Iowa Workforce Development, described the case as 'a big win” for the agency.

'With this sentence including jail time, this might make others think twice before fraudulently claiming unemployment insurance benefits,” he said in a news release.

Meade's payment will go to Iowa's unemployment compensation trust fund, which is the pool of money used to pay unemployment benefits. The fund had a balance of more than $1 billion in 2016, according to an Iowa Workforce Development report.

Iowa paid about $424 million in unemployment benefits last year.

l Comments: (319) 398-8366; matthew.patane@thegazette.com