Wife Pleads Guilty To Collecting $58K In Unemployment For Jailed Husband
BOSTON – A Somerville woman has pleaded guilty to charges that she collected more than $58,000 in unemployment benefits on her husband's behalf while he was behind bars.
Nancy Smith, 42, pleaded guilty this week to 97 counts of Unemployment Fraud, Larceny Over $250 by False Pretenses, Conspiracy to Commit Unemployment Fraud, and Conspiracy to Commit Larceny.
She was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to re-pay the money she took.
According to authorities, Smith's husband Kevin Smith, 43, of Mattapan, was laid off from his job in in January 2009 and began collecting unemployment. When he was incarcerated in August 2009 on unrelated charges, Kevin Smith allegedly gave his wife instructions on how to continue collecting unemployment insurance. The alleged scheme lasted until July of 2011.
The couple was indicted on charges in October 2013.
Kevin Smith still faces 97 counts of Unemployment Fraud, Larceny Over $250 by False Pretenses, Conspiracy to Commit Unemployment Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Larceny and four counts as a Habitual Offender.
He's due back in court on April 30.
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