Shelby man sentenced to prison for unemployment insurance fraud |

A Shelby man was sentenced to prison for unemployment insurance fraud and related offenses.

Jeffrey Glenn, 41, was sentenced Tuesday to serve 75 months in prison and pay $284,831 in restitution to the North Carolina Department of Commerce - Division of Employment Security.

Glenn and a co-conspirator, Reggie Lee Wimbush, were charged in August 2011 with wire fraud, mail fraud, theft of public money, identity theft, and aggravated identity theft stemming from an unemployment insurance fraud scheme.

Court documents show the two men devised and executed a scheme to fraudulenty obtain money they were not entitled to from the Unemployment Insurance Program (UIP). The purpose of the UIP is to provide cash payment to unemployed workers to cover necessities like food, shelter, and clothing, while they seek employment.

Unemployment insurance benefits are given either as debit MasterCard cards mailed to recipients or through direct deposits. The UIP cards can be used at any point-of-sale terminal or ATM where MasterCard is accepted.

Court records show from May 2009 to July 2011, Glenn and Wimbush filed numerous unemployment insurance claims using the identities of 23 people, most of whom were identity theft victims. The names were associated with 15 fictitious employers.

The men stole more than $284,000 through the scheme and used the money through the UIP debit cards, including cash withdrawals at ATMs.

Glenn has been in custody since August 2011. He pleaded guilty to all counts.

Wimbush was sentenced last year on the same charges to 57 months in prison.