Former Moses Lake State Worker Sentenced For Fraud

(Tacoma, WA)  --  A former employee of the Washington State Employment Security Department has been sentenced for fraud.  Reyes De La Cruz, of Moses Lake, worked processing pandemic-related unemployment claims.  He modified claims, so the people would receive large lump sum amounts and then he would collect a portion for himself.  He defrauded 360-thousand dollars in unemployment claims and kept 130-thousand dollars for himself.  He was sentenced to five years in prison.