Teamster Sentenced for Stealing Unemployment Benefits

BOSTON – A member of the Boston Teamsters Local 82 was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with stealing unemployment insurance benefits.

Thomas Flaherty, 52, of Braintree, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to two years of probation, a fine of $1,000, and restitution of $21,011.  In July 2015, Flaherty pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud for defrauding the Massachusetts Department of Workforce Development, Division of Unemployment Assistance of unemployment insurance benefits.

From March 2010 to December 2011, while working for Local 82, Flaherty’s gross earnings were $49,890; however, Flaherty made several misrepresentations so that he could collect unemployment insurance benefits.  Specifically, Flaherty falsely reported to the Department of Unemployment Insurance that during the same time period he earned only $10,102.  Flaherty failed to report his weekly earnings or significantly under-reported his earnings so that it appeared to the Department of Unemployment Insurance that he was eligible to receive full or at least partial unemployment insurance when, in fact, he was employed nearly full time and was not eligible.  In total, Flaherty collected $21,093 in unemployment insurance benefits.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Scott S. Dahl, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Jonathan Russo, District Director of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards; Susan A. Hensley, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, made the announcement.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura J. Kaplan of Ortiz’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit and Susan G. Winkler of Ortiz’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit.