CINCINNATI — Four people are facing charges, including a former Ohio Department of Job & Family Services employee, for allegedly defrauding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, according to a press release from the Ohio Inspector General's office.
Nia Beebe of the West End, Shaqunia Benion of West Price Hill and Jervonta Rowland of Springdale are facing charges of tampering with records and bribery. Donesha Shepard, the former ODJFS employee who lived in Westwood, faces charges of theft, tampering with records, telecommunications fraud and two counts of bribery.
According to the Ohio Inspector General's office, Shepard was hired by ODJFS on May 24, 2021 to serve as "an intermittent customer service representative." She was tasked with reviewing PUA claims to determine the eligibility of the claimants seeking funding.
ODJFS determined that, in 41 claims among 12 different people, Shepard improperly removed fraud flags from the claims, allowing people who were originally flagged as ineligible for PUA benefits to receive payment.
The claims she approved totaled $799,986, the Inspector General's office said. She was fired on August 6, 2021 and in March of 2022, ODJFS filed a complaint about Shepard with the state Inspector General's office.
During the investigation into Shepard, officials analyzed phone and social media records and found that Shepard advertised in Facebook posts and through word-of-mouth that she could remove fraud holds from PUA claims for a fee.
Investigators searched through Shepard's Facebook messages and learned that she would agree on a payment fee with a claimant then subsequently submit a note to the PUA claims system to remove the fraud hold designation on the claim, which allowed the money to be disbursed.
Most of the people Shepard forged agreements had familial connections, lived near Shepards home or were connected to her by calls and texts; some were inmates who made digital payments to Shepard, officials said.
She and the three other people were all indicted in Hamilton County, court records show.
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