MONTGOMERY, AL - Mary Bennett, of Wetumpka, Narendrakumar Patel of Millbrook, of and Eugenia Burks, of Montgomery, were sentenced for their roles in an identity theft and tax fraud scheme.

Bennett was sentenced Friday to 75 months in prison, Patel was sentenced Thursday to 24 months in prison, and Burks was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison.

Bennett had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as aggravated identity theft, while Burks also had pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Patel pleaded guilty to forging state securities. Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division Kathryn Keneally, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama Sandra J. Stewart, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) made the announcement.

MONTGOMERY – Alabama Department of Labor Commissioner Tom Surtees announced today that the Department has successfully prosecuted several Alabamians for unemployment compensation fraud. The following individuals were charged with violating the Alabama Unemployment Compensation Law by making false statements in claims for benefits:

- Ernest Wade, Jr., of Alabaster, was tried in Shelby County District Court on March 6, 2013. An investigation by Labor’s Benefit Payment Control Section determined that Wade received a total of $1,658 in benefits to which he was not entitled.
Wade pled guilty and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, which was suspended for two years, and 24 months of unsupervised probation. He was also ordered to pay a $100 fine, court costs and restitution in the amount of benefits received illegally.