Postal Service Worker Busted in Unemployment Payment Scam

A Rocky Point woman, working for the U.S. Postal Service, was convicted recently by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York for stealing over $11,500 in unemployment benefits.

The conviction came as one of over 60 cases that collectively took more than $425,000 in unemployment insurance payments under false pretenses, with all individuals working as mail carriers, processing clerks or casual laborers for the USPS.

The Department of Labor identified 35-year-old Angela Blazejewski as one of seven cases announced on Thursday. Others named ran from Brooklyn to Plattsburgh to Schenectady, collecting anywhere from $5,300 to $26,000 from 2009 through 2012.

According to the DOL, New York State – which paid out $7.1 billion last year – operates one of the largest unemployment insurance systems in the country.

"Unemployment benefits are meant to provide crucial financial assistance to workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own," said United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stop fraudulent schemes such as these which ultimately hurt the American public."