How much unemployment fraud happened in the early-days of the coronavirus pandemic?
The Comptroller’s Office estimated that the loss to New York was around $11 billion, according to an audit that officials said the state’s Labor Department did not participate in.
Now, the Chair of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer of Kentucky, is requesting all information and data relating to fraud in the state’s unemployment insurance.
Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon announced Friday that the agency’s losses during the early days of the pandemic was $4 billion, not the $11 billion that had been reported by auditors.
The final figure will have a big impact on the business community moving forward, as it relates to the amount of payroll tax they have to pay depending on how much fraud took place.
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