ASSEMBLYMAN HAFEN EXPOSES AG FORD’S DETR $644 million THEFT FAILURE

Feb 21, 2023

Rob Lauer Political Reporter

DETR, Nevada’s unemployment division, which is responsible for processing and paying out unemployment claims, experienced the greatest robbery in the history of Nevada. Robbers stole $644,285,814.37 not with a gun but with computers and possibly with inside help.

DETR claims in their responses to 360 News’ open records request that more than $644 million was successfully stolen by thieves inputting fake unemployment claims during COVID. They claim only $114,355,425 was recovered. That means more than half a billion dollars was stolen all while people in real need couldn’t get their unemployment checks after Sisolak destroyed their jobs and called them “non-essential”.

Thanks to Assemblyman Hafen we now know why DETR refused to provide 360 News information about thieves prosecuted to date for the $644 million heist.

AG Ford reported to the committee that his office had only successfully prosecuted two people out of 184,000 in the theft of $644 million.

Attorney General Aaron Ford testified yesterday before the Joint Meeting of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, requesting that the Assembly vote to increase his budget to hire more investigators. That’s when Republican Assemblyman Greg Hafen asked AG Ford if he was going to use the increased money to hire more investigators to catch more than two people?

Three years ago on July 25, 2020 the Las Vegas Review Journal reported 

“Nevada’s agency overseeing unemployment insurance suspects that anywhere between 133,748 and 185,484 possibly fraudulent jobless claims have been filed. DETR has repeatedly declined to provide any additional details on fraud or comment on the amount of money that has fraudulently been collected.”

Ford dodges the question.

Go to 2:09

360 News asked DETR for the following open records:

1. All emails to and from Gov. Sisolak and DETR related to fraudulent COVID unemployment benefits investigations.
2. a list of every suspected and confirmed case of fraud along with the amount fo money obtained. 
3. A list of the all criminal case filed related to fraudulently obtains COVID unemployment benefits.

This is what DETR responded with:

To answer your questions:

1. Email between DETR and Governor Sisolak is zero.
2. Fraud cases are confidential other than coordinating investigations of possible prosecutions with law enforcement.  
   1. Total fraud paid out to date:  $644,285,814.37
   2. Total fraud recovered to date:  $114,355,425.66
   3. Estimated Fraudulent Payments Prevented as of 01/30/23: $ 2,514,811,650.85
3. This is handled by law enforcement and not by the agency.