Former Westporter and Daughter Charged with Fraud

A federal grand jury in Hartford has indicted former Westporter Monroe Ralph Hymans and his daughter Julie Hymans of Bridgeport on six charges of mail fraud stemming from an alleged scheme through which they fraudulently received more than $300,000 in unemployment benefits, according to a news release.

The indictment was returned on March 30 and was unsealed Wednesday upon the arrest of the defendants, according to a news release issued Thursday by Nora R. Dannehy, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

The indictment alleges that from January 1995 to April 2009, Monroe Ralph Hymans, 86, who now resides in Summerville, S.C., and Julie Hymans, a 39-year-old Bridgeport resident, defrauded the Connecticut Department of Labor by collecting about $317,313 in unemployment benefits to which they were not entitled.  The indictment further alleges that Monroe Ralph Hymans used both his real name and the fictitious identities "Ronald Monroe" and "Monroe Hyams" to fraudulently collect benefits.

If convicted, the Hymans face a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000, on each count.

U.S. Attorney Dannehy stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are entitled to a fair trial at which it is the Government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, according to the news release.

 This case is being investigated by the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and the United States Postal Inspection Service.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul McConnell.

The Federal and State Unemployment Insurance System, which is designed to provide benefits to persons who are out of work due to no fault of their own, is administered for the federal government by state employment offices.  The U.S. Department of Labor oversees the Unemployment Insurance System and the federal government funds all administrative costs, including salaries and office expenses for the employment offices.  Benefits paid to unemployed workers from the private sector are financed by taxes on employers in the State of Connecticut by the State's Department of Labor.