Woman Accused of Faking Unemployment, Collecting Benefits While Making Six Figure Salary

Fraudster

A Florida woman is accused of providing a false unemployment report while bagging a six figure salary to obtain government benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid.

Amber Drake, 37, of Tallahassee, turned herself in to authorities Thursday in response to allegations that she received nearly $18,000 in government assistance, WTXL reported.

An investigator with the Florida Department of Financial Services filed a complaint against Drake that alleges that she deliberately submitted a false unemployment application to receive food stamps and Medicaid.

The complaint states that Drake filed the unemployment claim on October 20, 2014, when an investigation revealed that she had been employed from July 2014 to January 2017.

WCTV reports that Drake allegedly filed multiple unemployment claims with the state from 2014 to 2016 while employed at a job where her gross pay was $103,900.

Documents say that Drake received approximately $10,000 in food stamp benefits and an estimated $8,000 in Medicaid benefits, totaling $17,603.94.

Police issued a warrant for Drake’s arrest August 11 on charges of public assistance fraud. Authorities booked Drake into the Leon County Jail Thursday and released her on bond.

This is the fourth time someone in Tallahassee has been arrested for public assistance fraud in the past two weeks. One woman was arrested for allegedly failing to disclose her court-funded child support payments August 11.

Another woman was taken into custody for allegedly lying about her income to receive $5,612.06 in Medicaid and food stamp benefits she did not qualify for.

A week later, a man was arrested on August 21 for allegedly falsifying his public assistance application to receive $5,000 worth of food stamp benefits.

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