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March 6, 2007

Unemployment claim results in arrest

A Shenango Township woman who allegedly took $143,000 from her employer was arrested after she tried to collect unemployment.

Rebecca Kauffman, 54, of 4348 Hollow Road was arrested at her home Tuesday night by Shenango Township police on a fugitive warrant from New Jersey. She remains in the Lawrence County jail awaiting extradition to New Jersey.

According to a press release issued by the South Brunswick Police Department of Monmouth Junction, N.J., Kauffman allegedly took in excess of $143,000 from her employer, a pharmaceutical company in South Brunswick N.J.

Detective James Ryan, public information officer of the South Brunswick Police Department, said Kauffman worked as an accounts payable clerk at the company for almost two years.

In September, he said, she requested time off to care for a sick relative in Florida. After two weeks, he said, her employer attempted to contact her but received no response.

In December, Ryan said, the company’s annual audit discovered two fraudulent checks. Ultimately, 20 checks written between March and September 2006 and totaling $143,759 were found. All were made out to Kauffman, he said, and deposited in her bank account.

Ryan said Kauffman’s whereabouts were unknown until she applied for unemployment. At that time, he said, her last employer was contacted and told it would be charged for her unemployment. The employer provided information to the police who contacted police in Pennsylvania.

“People do strange things,” Ryan said. “After she left, she just dropped off the radar. We would never have found her had she not tried to collect unemployment.”

Ryan said he is waiting to see if Kauffman will waive extradition proceedings or fight it.

“If she doesn’t fight it, we will be out to get her on Monday or Tuesday,” he said.

Shenango Township police chief Alan Nocera confirmed that one of his officers made the arrest on Tuesday night.

“She seemed surprised that we found her,” he said.

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