Mississippi brother, sister accused of receiving fraudulent unemployment benefits

JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Special agents from the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor arrested a brother and a sister for conspiracy to defraud the state.

According to Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, Thaddieus Cooper and Artista Garner illegally tried to obtain unemployment benefits from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security while Cooper was incarcerated and ineligible to receive unemployment benefits.

White said Cooper made phone calls to Garner, his sister, requesting that she fill out the unemployment application for Cooper while he was incarcerated. Investigators said Cooper received the illegal benefits via a Way2Go debit card, and Garner then used the unemployment card for personal use.

“These are the latest arrests we’ve made for unemployment fraud,” White said. “Thank you to the investigators who worked on this case in my office and the prosecutors who chose to take it.”

If convicted, Cooper and Garner could each face up to five years in prison and $1,000 in fines.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.