A High Ridge woman has admitted to abusing her position with the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Division of Employment Security by allowing at least eight people to receive approximately $140,500 in unearned unemployment benefits, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
Vicky Hefner, 63, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public money on Monday, March 20. She initially had been charged with three counts of theft of public money, court records show.
Hefner’s sentencing is scheduled for June 22. She faces up to 10 years in prison and a possible fine of up to $250,000. She also will be ordered to repay the stolen money, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to her guilty plea, Hefner began working for the state’s Employment Security Division in 2009. She worked from her home in High Ridge and an office in St. Louis, helping people file claims over the phone and adjudicating issues people had with unemployment claims.
From July to December 2020, Hefner logged into the accounts of friends, relatives and associates and changed their status, using her credentials to either make them eligible for unemployment benefits or increasing their benefits. She also allowed people who were still working to receive unemployment benefits, the plea agreement said.
Those who got the benefits allegedly paid Hefner a portion of the money they received from the fraudulent claims, according to the agreement.
The Office of Inspector General at both the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Dowd III is prosecuting the case.