Seventeen Long Islanders ripped off New York state for a total of about $270,000 in unemployment benefits while working, officials said Thursday.
The top fraudster, Matthew O’Leary, 48, pocketed more than $52,000 from 2007 to 2012 while working as a carpenter and stagehand for CBS, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
The suspects, arrested over the past month, allegedly earned $500 to $1,000 a week while claiming they were out of a job.
Christopher Ray, 44, of Freeport, allegedly earned $26,000 over a 25-month period in 2009-2011, said DA Kathleen Rice.
All face up to seven years in prison if convicted.
“Unemployment insurance is meant to help honest workers get through hard times . . . but these defendants are charged with abusing that trust and assistance by cheating the system,” said Rice.