Benner prison inmates, State College woman accused of fraudulently seeking unemployment aid
Nine Benner state prison inmates and a State College woman were accused Wednesday of improperly obtaining more than $100,000 from COVID-19 relief applications.
Adele Moore, of State College, and inmate James Neff-Zonge were identified by state Attorney General Josh Shapiro as ringleaders of a group that provided false information on COVID-19 unemployment benefit applications.
The scheme that operated from Benner state prison began after Moore successfully applied for about $10,125 in unemployment benefits on behalf of inmate Jacob Snook, of Bellefonte, Shapiro said in a written statement.
The plan then grew in scope, with Moore accused of gathering inmates’ personal information through Neff-Zonge, applying for COVID-19 benefits from her address and then sharing a portion of the benefits with inmates, Shapiro said.
“Today, 20 more individuals have been charged with illegally taking benefits away from hardworking Pennsylvanians who are struggling during this crisis,” Shapiro said. “These arrests are not the end of our investigation, and I’ll continue working with my colleagues at the federal level to track down those heading these schemes, along with those who are willfully participating and breaking the law.”
Moore is accused of illegally obtaining about $7,000 from several inmates for filing the applications and from two inmates’ debit cards.
Neff-Zonge is accused of receiving about $3,000 from inmates in exchange for his help in filing the applications. Other inmates accused were:
James Leidig, of Franklin County, who allegedly received about $22,245 in unemployment payments
Ronald Baker, of York County, who allegedly received about $13,110 in unemployment payments
Michael Lyter, of Dauphin County, who allegedly received about $12,315 in unemployment payments
Joseph Klecha, of Susquehanna County, who allegedly received about $12,315 in unemployment payments
- Todd Butler, of Ohio, who allegedly received about $9,993 in unemployment payments
- Derek Young, of Northumberland County, who allegedly received about $9,993 in unemployment payments
- James Sullivan, of Wayne County, who allegedly received about $9,993 in unemployment payments
Similar schemes operated from Mahanoy state prison in Schuylkill County and Phoenix state prison in Montgomery County, Shapiro wrote. The first and largest ring was operated at Benner state prison.
It was not immediately clear what charges Moore or the inmates are facing, or if any are represented by a defense lawyer.
The state Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to a request for comment.