INDIANAPOLIS — A former employee of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) must pay $17,457 to the state after admitting to stealing unemployment benefits.
Tina Trotter reached a plea agreement Wednesday in which she pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft.
Prosecutors dismissed remaining charges of perjury and official misconduct.
A Marion County judge sentenced Trotter to two years probation and she must pay the state $17,457 in restitution.
“Probation shall terminate upon full payment of restitution,” the plea agreement said.
Marion County prosecutors charged Tina Trotter with including theft, perjury, and official misconduct on December 20, 2022.
Trotter was hired on July 27, 2020, as a program specialist with DWD and her primary duty was to assist claimants with applying for UI benefits.
Unemployment Insurance is a program funded by employer contributions that pays benefits to workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own.
DWD fired Trotter on September 17, 2021 for employee misconduct, records show.
From August 1, 2020 to December 26, 2020, Trotter submitted 22 weekly unemployment vouchers to DWD while employed by DWD to obtain UI benefits to which she was not entitled.
Trotter received $10,380 in payments she was not entitled to receive, prosecutors allege.
Trotter also obtained $12,518 in benefits for her husband, records show.
When Trotter’s husband applied for UI benefits, he indicated it was due to COVID-19, however the husband’s employer said his separation was for attendance issues, not COVID-19.
Prosecutors say Trotter gained unauthorized access to her husband’s account and reassigned the claim to herself.
WRTV Investigates found out about this case while looking through the Indiana Office of Inspector General reports.
Trotter told the Office of Inspector General she planned to reimburse the state.
Trotter reached a repayment agreement in January 2022 in which she agreed to pay $325 monthly for a total of $19,362.
However, Trotter has only repaid $550, records show, and an additional $481.06 from collection efforts.
The matter has been referred to the Indiana Attorney General’s office for collection, the report says.
However, the the Attorney General's office has not received a collection request from DWD on this case, a spokesperson told WRTV.
WRTV Investigates is working on getting a statement from Trotter.
"On behalf of Ms. Trotter, we have no comment on the conclusion of her case," said Zac Bailey, Partner at Marc Lopez Law Firm.
WRTV has contacted DWD for comment, and a spokesperson referred us to the state personnel department.
