Ontonio Jennings, Unemployment Insurance Program Fraud, Illinois 2013

Local Man Sentenced for Unemployment Insurance Program Fraud

A Granite City man has been sentenced for defrauding the unemployment insurance program. Ontonio Jennings, 37, was sentenced on January 4, 2013, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

Jennings was found guilty of defrauding the unemployment insurance program and was ordered to repay $5,796 in restitution to the Illinois Department of Employment Security. He was also sentenced to 10 months in jail to be followed by a 2-year term of supervised release. Jennings was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.

“Lying and cheating to receive unemployment compensation is a crime,” said United States Attorney Stephen R. Wigginton. “Those who defraud the unemployment insurance program undermine support for an important public program and hurt and insult every law-abiding citizen of Southern Illinois, particularly as public programs face economic crises. I will continue to place a high priority on pursuing those who steal from the United States Treasury.”

Jennings admitted to being employed at various times between December 2008 and May 2010 while also filing for and receiving unemployment insurance benefits. He had to certify every two weeks that he was ready, willing, and able to work, but he did not report that he was working and did not report the income he earned to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

In total, Jennings received $24,337 in unemployment insurance payments to which he was not entitled. Jennings was also on supervised release for an unrelated matter while committing this crime, which led to the revocation of his supervised release in August 2012. He was sentenced to an additional year and a day in prison for the violation. Jennings’ term of imprisonment in this case will not begin until after he has served his sentence for the supervised release violation.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Illinois Department of Employment Security. This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Katherine L. Lewis.

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