Latest news with #OhioInspectorGeneral
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
ODJFS employee wrongly released $565K in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits, inspector general says
[Watch in the player above: How to tell if a company is planning layoffs] COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — An Ohio Inspector General investigation has revealed a temporary worker for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services improperly released more than $565,000 in pandemic-era relief funds in 2021, some of which went to her relatives and acquaintances. The case has been referred to a county prosecutor and the state auditor. Manhunt suspended for James Douglas Meadows, suspect in Lorain County police officer assault who is still at-large The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program was created by Congress in 2020 to address rising unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the program expanded, ODJFS received 'an unprecedented number' of new unemployment claims, according to a Thursday news release from the IG's office. The agency hired several new intermittent and temporarily contracted workers to handle the influx of claims. The agency disbursed about $7.6 billion in pandemic unemployment benefits in the 2021 fiscal year. Millions of those dollars were later determined to be fraudulent, according to the release. Car stolen with toddler in it: Suspect enters plea ODJFS in August 2021 referred a claim of wrongdoing by one of those intermittent workers to the inspector general's office. Investigators learned the woman previously worked for a private organization as a customer service representative processing PUA claims. In both jobs, she acted outside her authority by releasing a total of $565,949 over 28 PUA claims, according to the release. Investigators found the woman improperly searched for PUA claimants and removed fraud and eligibility issues and fact-finding information from their claims, allowing them to move ahead. Five of the claims were for her relatives and acquaintances, according to the release. Read the full investigation on the Inspector General's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
Investigation: Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources lawyer worked second job on state's dime
An attorney for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources misused state resources when he stored documents related to a second job on his state-issued computer, an investigation by the Ohio Inspector General found. The Ohio Inspector General launched an investigation into ODNR Deputy Legal Counsel Matthew Westerman in June after receiving a referral from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The Inspector General's office issued a report Thursday that found Westerman worked on multiple occasions for a secondary job at MCS and Associates while also working for ODNR. ODNR's legal department had approved Westerman's employment with the construction and project management firm, the report found. However, Westerman used state resources for his second job, which violated ODNR policies. In November, ODNR told Westerman to stop all his work with MCS and Associates, and he agreed, the report said. The investigation found that he made nearly 150 phone calls for MCS-related work while on the clock for ODNR, sent or received 70 emails using his state email account, and stored 29 MCS-related files on his state-issued computer or state cloud storage. The investigation found this amounted to more than 26 hours of work over about two years being done for Westerman's secondary employer while on the clock for the state, totaling about $2,182 in pay and benefits from ODNR, a report issued Thursday said. Westerman has worked as deputy legal counsel for ODNR since 2022. According to the Ohio Supreme Court's attorney registry, he remains employed there as of Thursday. The Ohio Inspector General has sent the investigation and report to the Columbus City Attorney's office and the Franklin County Prosecutor's office for review. The investigation and report have also been sent to the Ohio Auditor of State's office and the Ohio Office of Disciplinary Counsel. bbruner@ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: ODNR lawyer found working second job on state time, investigation shows
