HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio — A former employee with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and three other people were indicted Friday on theft, bribery and fraud charges.
According to the assisting prosecuting attorney in Hamilton County, Donesha Shepard was hired in 2021 and she was responsible for processing Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims.
Between May and September 2021, Shepard allegedly processed 41 claims without authorization and the money went to her three co-defendants: Nia Beebe, Shaqunia Benion and Jervonta Rowland.
The assisting prosecutor said Beebe, Benion and Rowland would then pay Shepard the money they received.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Court documents say the thefts ranged from $150,000 to $750,000.
All four were indicted on one count of theft, one count of telecommunications fraud and one count of bribery. Shepard was also indicted on one count of tampering with records. All of the charges are third-degree felonies.
ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder released a statement on the indictment:
“We are pleased with news of the indictment of four individuals in conjunction with fraud in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. This is not a victimless crime. These individuals allegedly stole from taxpayers. Fraud schemes also harmed legitimate unemployment claimants who were hurting during the pandemic by making it harder to receive needed benefits in a timely fashion. When we discovered that individuals like these may have been illegally abusing their access to our systems, we took immediate action to stop it and work with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute it. We thank all those agencies who helped bring this about and will continue working to ensure more criminals are brought to justice.”
