PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Several Philadelphia police radio dispatchers have been federally indicted for collecting unemployment money during the pandemic while they were employed.
Authorities say seven police dispatchers and a department clerk illegally filed for the money and continuously lied to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.
They filed for unemployment — formally certifying that they didn’t have jobs or couldn’t get jobs — even though they were still being paid by the city.
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Pandemic Unemployment Assistance was meant for people who didn’t have or couldn’t get jobs during the pandemic, as part of the federal CARES Act.
Each of the eight has now been charged with wire fraud and theft of government funds. They are:
Shannon Reynolds, 25
Najah Harrell, 32
Korey Kinard, 29
Keely Maude, 23
Tashika White, 50
Paulette Johnson, 55
Monica Pelzer, 45
Yarelis Feliciano, 28
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Johnson was employed as a clerk while the rest were dispatchers. All are civilian workers, and all will be fired.
The charges come as the department continues to struggle to fill dispatching positions.