In an Aug. 16 Facebook post, Rep. Thomas M. Bennett (R-Pontiac) shared the results of a federal report calling out IDES for misspending.
“Federal report calls out Illinois Department of Employment Security for failing to disclose data on misspending,” Bennett posted. He shared a link to a CBS Chicago story on the subject.
In May, Bennett spoke out about more than $1 million that IDES handed out to individuals who were collecting benefits fraudulently. “Records show Illinois Department of Employment Security lost $1.2 million in taxpayer money to fraudsters,” he said in a Facebook post.
CBS Chicago learned Illinois sent more than $1.2 million in unemployment benefits to fraudulent accounts, while many who were unemployed waited months for their benefits,
According to CBS Chicago, Illinois was among the bottom two states for reporting unemployment fraud in the unemployment program specifically created during the COVID-19 pandemic.
