Edison Delarosa, Scheme to Defraud Unemployment Assistance, Massachusetts 2016

Everett Man Charged with $1.8M Unemployment Scheme

BOSTON – A brazen scheme to defraud the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance has landed an Everett man in hot water. Edison Delarosa, 52, was arrested and charged with one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud in connection with a scheme that netted him over $1.8 million.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Delarosa exploited the Department of Unemployment Assistance’s online system to submit bogus ‘repayments’ between January 5 and November 24, 2016. The scheme involved submitting a total of 136 fraudulent ‘repayments’, amounting to $1,813,170, for which the DUA issued Delarosa 15 paper ‘refund’ checks, totaling $1,251,283.

The checks were mailed to Delarosa and deposited into his account, but the scheme was uncovered after six of those checks, totaling $27,227, were deposited into his account. The U.S. Attorney’s Office praised the cooperation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Department of Unemployment Assistance in uncovering the scheme.

Delarosa faces a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Assistant United States Attorney Anne Paruti of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The charges of wire fraud and mail fraud were announced by Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb, Michael Mikulka, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, New York Region, Mattew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, and Shelly Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Delarosa was released on conditions following an appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Page M. Kelley. While the investigation is ongoing, one thing is clear: Delarosa’s days of cashing in on the unemployment system are over.

As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen how this brazen scheme was able to go undetected for so long. However, one thing is certain – Delarosa has a long road ahead of him, and it may just lead him to a cold cell.

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