Dominican sought for $133,000 unemployment benefit fraud in Puerto Rico
Juan Ignacio de la Cruz David is on the list of the 16 most wanted by the DOL-OIG for defrauding unemployment programmes during COVID-19.
Dominican citizen at large following federal indictment for unemployment fund fraud
United States federal authorities are searching for Juan Ignacio de la Cruz David, a Dominican citizen accused of defrauding more than $133,000 from Puerto Rico's unemployment assistance programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to acento.com.do.
De la Cruz David was recently included on the list of the 16 "most wanted" by the Office of Inspector General of the United States Department of Labour (DOL-OIG), as announced by inspector general Anthony D'Esposito.
According to the file released by the agency, the suspect allegedly used false Social Security numbers to process and collect multiple economic assistance cheques intended for people who lost their jobs or experienced income reductions during the health emergency.
The federal prosecutor's office for the District of Puerto Rico filed a formal indictment against him in 2022 for the offences of theft of government funds and mail fraud. To date, the accused remains a fugitive and authorities are unaware of his whereabouts.
According to data released by investigators, De la Cruz David was born on 31 July 1978, has brown eyes, is approximately 1.78 metres tall and weighs around 86 kilograms.
The Office of Inspector General of the Department of Labour has requested public collaboration and urges those with information about his whereabouts to contact them through the telephone line 1-800-347-3756.
Source: Google News DO — Crime