Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Man faces sentencing for seeking unemployment benefits from jail

A Las Vegas man is facing prison time after he was convicted of unemployment insurance fraud for seeking jobless benefits while he was in jail, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.

After a three-day trial last week, Joshua Jones, 23, of Las Vegas also was found guilty of conspiracy to unlawfully obtain or increase benefits and to obtain money under false pretenses, officials said.

The state charged Jones with conspiring to commit the fraud while he was incarcerated in an unrelated case. The fraud occurred between August 2013 and October 2013, officials said.

During his trial, the state played recordings of telephone calls Jones made from the Clark County Detention Center in which he directed his then-girlfriend to file an unemployment claim on his behalf, officials said.

“This attempt to defraud was particularly troubling because it was committed from behind bars — the very place this convict was sent to be reformed,” Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt said in a statement.

In July, Jones’ former girlfriend pleaded guilty to lesser charges and agreed to repay $1,440 she and Jones unlawfully obtained from the state, officials said.

As a three-time convicted felon, Jones faces a possible habitual offender sentence of up to 20 years in prison, plus an order of restitution. He is scheduled to be sentenced April 15.

“Defrauding the state for benefits cannot be tolerated, and the AG’s office will aggressively prosecute individuals who endeavor to swindle hardworking taxpayers for their own gain,” Laxalt said.

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