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Mississippi brother, sister accused of receiving fraudulent unemployment benefits

By Kristopher White Oct 15, 2024 | 1:01 PM

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Special agents from the State Auditor’s office arrested a brother and a sister for conspiracy to defraud the state of Mississippi.

According to State Auditor Shad White, Thaddieus Cooper and Artista Garner illegally tried to obtain unemployment benefits from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) while Cooper was incarcerated and ineligible to receive unemployment benefits.

White said Cooper made phone calls to Garner, his sister, requesting that she fill out the unemployment application for Cooper while he was incarcerated. Investigators said Cooper received the illegal benefits via a Way2Go debit card, and Garner then used the unemployment card for personal use on numerous occasions.

  • Artista Garner (Courtesy: State Auditor’s Office)
  • Thaddieus Cooper (Courtesy: State Auditor’s Office)

“These are the latest arrests we’ve made for unemployment fraud,” said White. “Thank you to the investigators who worked on this case in my office and the prosecutors who chose to take it.”

If convicted, Cooper and Garner could each face up to five years in prison and $1,000 in fines.