Officials say that a former claims manager for the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency has been sentenced in a COVID-19 fraud scheme.

A former member of the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after a scheme designed to award pandemic-era benefits to people submitting false claims.

The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency is pausing its collection of new wages and interceptions of state tax refunds until next month while cases are being reviewed.

She filed for unemployment as an independent contractor and soon the checks she needed arrived, but then late last year she received a notification from UIA telling her she owed the state $17,000. She was stunned.

The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) tells us fraud is on the rise.

I know so many of you have struggled to speak with a real person at the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.

Michigan’s acting Unemployment Insurance Agency director appeared before the House Oversight Committee Thursday to answer questions about the problems the agency has dealt with over the past 18 months.

People collecting unemployment may be at risk of having their identity stolen.

More than 600,000 Michigan residents may not have had the unemployment eligibility they thought they did during the pandemic.

Extended unemployment benefits for Michigan residents will no longer be available after this week because the state’s unemployment rate dropped below the required threshold.

DETROIT – Some Michigan residents have been receiving 1099-G forms for unemployment benefits that they never applied for or received. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency was hacked last year. She said receiving the 1099-G is just the latest update in a long struggle with the unemployment agency. The larger problem for many people is that they’re getting kicked up into a higher tax bracket, where the tax bill is still higher. READ: Task force cracking down on unemployment fraud in Michigan

DETROIT – Last month, when the director of the Michigan Unemployment Office resigned, promises were made that critical fixes would be made and help would arrive for the thousands struggling to get benefits. On Monday, those problems still remain. Many people have been going back and forth with unemployment officials for months with no end in sight. Many people are desperate for help. Watch the video above for the full report.

DETROIT – New unemployment claims have been increasing as states start to put new restrictions in place to deal with a surge in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. There were 853,000 people who applied for benefits last week, that’s the most since September. In Michigan, another 20,000 people applied for benefits. Local 4′s Hank Winchester found out that a lot of people are still running into trouble trying to get their benefits. READ: Michigan father locked in battle with unemployment agency over lack of benefitsWatch the video above for the full report.

DETROIT – A father of four has been locked in a battle with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency since the summer. He hadn’t received any benefits, and after running into a problem at every turn he reached out to the Help Me Hank team for help. He has been working for months to try to get the benefits owed to him. Local 4′s Hank Winchester investigated and now the father will be getting his benefits. The problem was that the father’s identity had been stolen and because of that, his account was put on hold.

LANSING, Mich. – An audit to address issues at the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) found that shortcuts used to expedite payments left the agency vulnerable to fraud in hundreds of millions of dollars. The audit done by Deloitte cited multiple actions taken that caused problems. Michigan officials are warning residents of an email scam that is attempting to retrieve personal information from individuals collecting unemployment benefits. According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, an email is being sent to claimants seeking personal information. The email is being sent from a Gmail account that appears to be from the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) -- it is not.

Michigan unemployment worker charged with stealing money from agency amid record demandPublished: August 26, 2020, 5:44 pmA Michigan unemployment worker has been charged with stealing money from the state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency at a time when thousands of residents are still having trouble getting benefits.

A Michigan unemployment worker has been charged with stealing money from the states Unemployment Insurance Agency at a time when thousands of residents are still having trouble getting benefits. More than 1.5 million Michigan residents have filed for unemployment benefits during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but the need is so great that many people have had trouble collecting their payments. READ: FEMA approves Michigan for additional $300 in weekly unemployment paymentsNow, officials are investigating a disturbing new twist: employees on the inside stealing from the UIA. Anyone who steals unemployment funds steals form the people of Michigan.Rose and another employee, Serenity Poynter 36, of Detroit, are accused of filing almost 100 fraudulent unemployment claims. Investigators said they used Poynters name to file the claims and used different social security numbers.

Michigan UIA offices closed, unemployment claims unanswered amid ID theft investigationPublished: July 7, 2020, 5:38 pmThe Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency remains closed to the public amid the coronavirus pandemic, as tens of thousands of Michigan workers wait to receive a response or benefits.

LANSING, Mich. – Eligible Michiganders who are still waiting to receive unemployment insurance benefits may receive funds by July 4. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced Tuesday a goal to respond to all unanswered claims filed before May 1 by July 4. Officials say unpaid claims filed before May 1 comprise only 0.5 percent of all claims in Michigan. When the pandemic hit the state in March and forced residents to isolate at home, claims for unemployment benefits were filed at unprecedented rates. Officials say the UIA will announce a target date to respond to unanswered claims filed after May 1, 2020.

DETROIT – If you tried entering an unemployment office Thursday, you found locked doors and information guiding you to online resources. The demand right now is enormous, according to Erica Quealy, a spokesperson for the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency. Also see: Michigan expands unemployment to include self-employed, gig workers; increases weekly benefits“We can confirm that the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency is currently experiencing an average 550% increase in claims compared to normal anticipated activity this time of year,” Quealy said. The website is slow and the phone lines are backed up because of the number of people trying to file claims. UPDATE: Michigan implements unemployment filing schedule based on last name“Through Gov.