Five charged with larceny for illegally collecting Massachusetts unemployment benefits

BOSTON — Five individuals have recently been charged with larceny and unemployment fraud in connection with collecting more than $170,000 in combined unemployment benefits while allegedly continuing to work, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

These charges are the result of investigations referred to the Attorney General’s Office by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s Department of Unemployment Assistance (EOLWD\DUA).

The following individuals were charged with unemployment fraud and larceny:

Damien Silva

Silva, 44, of Taunton, was indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury on Larceny Over $250 (1 count), Larceny over $250 by Single Scheme (2 counts), and Unemployment Fraud (5 counts). He will be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on December 5.

Investigators allege that Silva received unemployment benefits from April 2014 to October 2017 while he was working, and fraudulently collected $27,000 in unemployment benefits from the DUA.

Matthew Mandigo

Mandigo, 33, of Brookfield was indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury on Larceny over $250 by Single Scheme (4 counts) and 8 Unemployment Fraud (8 counts). He will be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on December 5.

Investigators allege that Mandigo received unemployment benefits from January 2014 to August 2017 while he was working, and fraudulently collected $31,344 in unemployment benefits from the DUA.

Nirmala Ramnarain

Ramnarain, 48, of Boston was indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury on Larceny over $250 by Single Scheme (3 counts) and Unemployment Fraud (6 counts). She will be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on December 5.

Investigators allege that Ramnarain received unemployment benefits from January 2014 to January 2017 while she was working, and fraudulently collected $32,560 in unemployment benefits from the DUA.

Edmund Kenney

Kenney, 44, of Quincy was indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury on Larceny over $250 by a Single Scheme (3 counts), Unemployment Fraud (6 counts). He will be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on December 6.

Investigators allege that Kenney received unemployment benefits during three periods of time from November 2014 through September 2017 while he was working, and fraudulently collected $38,681 in unemployment benefits from the DUA.

Diana Headle

Headle, 48, of Lynn, was indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury on Larceny over $250 (4 counts) and Unemployment Fraud (8 counts). She will be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on December 6.

Investigators allege that Headle received unemployment benefits from July 2014 to January 2018 while she was working, and fraudulently collected $40,572 in unemployment benefits from the DUA.

These charges are allegations and all defendants are innocent until proven guilty.

The DUA provides temporary assistance to unemployed workers through the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program, which is funded by employer contributions. Private employers are required to pay quarterly contributions into the trust fund based on the number of workers they employ and how often their workers have accessed UI benefits, among other factors.

DUA’s Program Integrity Department focuses on the prevention, detection and the investigation of those who defraud or attempt to defraud the unemployment insurance program. Once fraud is detected, the Program Integrity Department works aggressively with the Attorney General’s office and other agencies to recover money owed to the UI Trust Fund.

To report unemployment fraud, call the EOLWD/DUA’s Fraud Hotline at 1-800-354-9927 or visit: www.mass.gov/lwd/ui-fraud anytime, 24 hours a day. Callers may remain anonymous.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Edward Beagan, Gretchen Brodigan, and Dan Jimenez, all of AG Healey’s Insurance and Unemployment Fraud Unit, with assistance from Senior Investigator Michael Azevedo of the AG’s Office, and investigators at EOLWD\DUA.