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Monday, March 8, 2021

Victims of Unemployment Fraud Forced to Fight Indiana’s Workforce Development System



As if here in honest to goodness Indiana the state isn’t being run badly enough, the Hoosier state’s ineptly run Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is doing it’s part to cause more unnecessary pain and anguish to Indiana taxpayers. Back on February 4th, 2021 Bob Segall over at WTHR reported on how the state is failing to provide adequate customer service to those who are the victims of unemployment insurance fraud.

Segall reports

For many Hoosiers who find themselves out of work because of COVID-19, getting laid off has not been the most frustrating aspect of the pandemic.

“As of September 1, we were all out of jobs,” said Erin Fisher-Leser, a compliance specialist who was laid off this fall by an Indianapolis travel management company. “There I was, filing for unemployment for the first time in a really, really long time, and when I tried to file online, I was locked out of the system.”

Yvonne Matlock tells the same story. The pandemic triggered job cuts at the healthcare facility where she worked as a fundraiser. And even though Yvonne received a severance package, former co-workers encouraged her to begin the process of establishing an account with the state unemployment office.

“My last day of employment was Nov. 6,” she told 13News. “Right away I got online to set up my account and it said I already had an account. I couldn’t even set anything up. I knew something was wrong.”

Erin and Yvonne quickly discovered why they could not set up accounts to file unemployment claims with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development: somebody had already beat them to it.

“Someone had opened an account on the 29th of June under my previous married name of over 30 years ago. They also set up bank account routing information,” Erin said.

“Someone filed a claim using my Social Security number in Philadelphia,” Yvonne explained. “I’ve never lived in Philadelphia in my life, so when I talked to someone at the unemployment office, I said ‘No, that’s not me.’”

Yvonne and Erin are victims of a widespread cyber fraud scheme that has diverted tens of billions of dollars in unemployment assistance away from the laid-off workers who need it most. It is happening all across the country. But here in Indiana, state officials are hesitant to discuss the scope of the problem, and 13 Investigates has discovered Indiana’s unemployment system often revictimizes the unemployed workers it is supposed to help.

Segall goes onto report that Yvonne and Erin have spent countless hours trying to email and call DWD and speak to the Fraud Investigators or someone to help get these issues resolved so they can collect unemployment. But as Yvonne said: “I feel like they don’t care, that they just really don’t care,” Yvonne told 13News. “When you call, you get a different person every time. It’s like you’re not even a number to them. You’re just a person on the other end of the phone,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes.

Unfortunately as Segall reports Yvonne and Erin are some of only many, many victims of unemployment insurance fraud:

“This is the largest cyber attack in terms of fraud in American history. Period,” said Blake Hall, a security expert who founded ID.me, a company that is now helping Indiana DWD and other state unemployment offices fend off massive amounts of fraud. “You have organized crime rings from Russia, from China, from Nigeria, from Ghana, as well as a lot of domestic identity thieves, and they’re all working together on the dark web. They’re sharing information about how each state works to defraud the state, and they just follow a playbook.”

Now of course Bob Segall and WTHR have tried to contact DWD directly and speak with them about the issues that the state is having with unemployment insurance fraud, but as has been the custom since the election of “Godfather” Governor Mitch Daniels, DWD refuses to be transparent with we the people:

13 Investigates contacted DWD in early December 2020 to ask how big this problem is across Indiana. Specifically, 13News asked how many fraudulent unemployment claims the department had received, how much of the $6.48 billion in 2020 unemployment payouts went to con artists trying to scam Indiana’s PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) program, and the steps DWD takes when it determines that an unemployment claim has been filed by an individual using another person’s Social Security number.

It appears Indiana’s Department of Workforce Development either doesn’t know the answers to those questions or will not publicly release the information. Two months after receiving WTHR’s request submitted under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act, DWD has not answered any of 13News’ questions and has repeatedly refused to meet with 13 Investigates to discuss the issue.

On Jan. 7, DWD spokesman Bob Birge told 13News “I hope to have some answers for you shortly,” and when asked again a week later, Birge wrote “Will check on your APRA request.” He has not responded since. The governor’s office also declined a request for an interview.

Segall also points out that “ state officials in Colorado, Ohio and Colorado are willing to openly discuss their unemployment fraud numbers, state leaders in Indiana have, so far, chosen not to release that type of information.”

It appears though that Segall and 13 News have gotten someone’s attention at DWD because DWD Commissioner Fredrick Payne decided to come down from his thrown and actually say something to Segall:

“We’ve become targets of fraudsters and scammers,” Payne said while discussing the state’s unemployment program during the governor’s weekly COVID-19 virtual press conference. “Seventy-one percent of current PUA claims have fraud indicators that require additional investigation.”

Since the DWD Commissioner refused to given any concrete information about the extend of the fraud issues with Indiana’s Unemployment System, Segall and WTHR obtained a list of identity theft complaints related to unemployment fraud from the Indiana Attorney General’s Office.

Segall goes onto say: 

According to the AG’s data, the first unemployment identity theft complaints in Indiana came in late April, just a few weeks after DWD implemented the federal PUA program. In June, the AG’s office received 14 complaints of identity theft linked to unemployment claims. By December, Hoosiers were filing more than 550 complaints per month – a nearly 4,000% increase.

So what is DWD doing to combat the increased unemployment fraud? Well for the answer to that you will have come back for tomorrow’s blog post where we will be discussing this issue more in depth. Till tomorrow this is the Indy Republican crew signing off.





Thursday, February 25, 2021

Former Johnson County Prosecutor Beats His Girlfriend But Might Get their Law License Back




In addition to avoiding jail time for beating and confining his then girlfriend, former Johnson County Indiana Prosecutor Bradley Cooper may someday practice law again in Indiana. On February 3rd, 2021 WISH-TV reported on Cooper’s law license suspension:

Bradley Cooper, the former Johnson County prosecutor, has had his law license suspended for four years by the Indiana Supreme Court.

Cooper avoided jail time with a plea agreement in 2019 after brutally beating and confining his girlfriend. He also stole her cell phone and pretended to be her in messages, then conducted media interviews where he accused her of attacking him.

The attack happened in March 2019. He agreed to plea guilty the following month and was sentenced in June 2019.

We read the copy of the Supreme Courts decision to not permanently disbar Cooper from the practice of law. The decision reads like typical bullshit reasoning to avoid fully holding a former public official accountable for his actions. This part is particularly interesting as to why the court decided to show some undeserved leniency to Cooper: 

 “Respondent has taken meaningful and substantial steps to address his alcohol use disorder and anger management issues. Respondent also has accepted responsibility in both his criminal and disciplinary proceedings for his deplorable acts, he has been compliant with the terms of his criminal probation, and his testimony at the final hearing reflects a degree of insight and remorse that distinguishes him, however modestly, from some other similarly-situated respondents.”

“ While these after-the-fact measures do not mitigate the misconduct itself, which was reprehensible, they do point to Respondent’s potential for rehabilitation and narrowly persuade us that the door to Respondent’s legal career should not be permanently and irrevocably closed.”

Or in plain English the court is saying: “Yes Cooper is a scumbag, who we should throw the book at. But because he hasn’t beaten or confined anyone else forcibly in two years, and because  he was a county prosecutor we will invent a totally bullshit reason to let him possibly practice law again. Seeing as how he is part of the good old boy network.”

As Gary Welsh used to say: “Sometimes justice works in mysterious ways.”

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson Is Calling It Quits


Secretary of State Connie Lawson 

Yesterday the Indianapolis Business Journal reported that Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson has announced she will be resigning from her office in the near future.

The IBJ reported

Lawson did not specify an exact date when she would step down but said the resignation would take place when Gov. Eric Holcomb “selects a successor and the successor is ready to serve.”

Lawson, 71, is the longest-serving secretary of state in Indiana history. She was appointed to the office by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels in March 2012 and was elected in 2014 and 2018.

“I have dedicated the last 32 years of my life to public service,” Lawson said in written remarks. “I have served with all of my heart and soul. It has been an honor to serve, but it is time for me to step down. Like many Hoosiers, 2020 took a toll on me. I am resigning so I can focus on my health and my family.”

Prior to becoming secretary of state, Lawson served in the Indiana Senate for 16 years. In 2006, she was selected as the first woman to serve as majority floor leader in the Senate.

Before joining the Indiana Senate, Lawson served as clerk of the Hendricks County Circuit Court for eight years.

The article goes onto mention that Lawson has not given an exact timeframe as to when she will be resigning. Governor Eric Holcomb showered Lawson with so much excessive praise you would think he was talking about Saint Mary:

“Indiana’s own Iron Lady, Secretary of State Connie Lawson, has long defined what true public service and leadership is and ought to be all about,” he said. “Throughout her time in county, legislative and statewide office, she set the standard for commitment, composure, class and credibility. No matter the year or issues of the day, citizens could bank on Connie Lawson leading the way and inspiring others to follow.

“A trailblazer, holder of state records, even serving alongside three Governors as Secretary of State, through it all, Connie has remained universally respected by veterans and the next generation alike.”


Not everyone would agree with the praise heaped on Lawson by Governor Holcomb. We have previously made mention of Lawson’s ethical and possible legal shortcomings. Needless to say Lawson is not the most ethical woman around. There are rumors swirling as to who Holcomb might appoint to replace Lawson.

The names we have heard so far thrown around are: Brandon Clifton who is Lawson’s chief of staff and deputy Secretary of State. Pacers Vice President Danny Lopez. And former congressional candidate and employee of the Secretary of State’s office. We have heard a few other names but these are the ones that stand out the most. If any of you out there have any insights or ideas as to what is driving Lawson’s resignation or who her replacement will be than contact us by email at 6vwts@notsharingmy.info, reach out to us on Twitter at @IndyRepublicanX, or fill out the contact form on the right side of the webpage of the blog.

Goodnight everyone and God Bless You All!

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Trump Is Gone From The White House

Good Morning Babies! We hope to get back to our regularly scheduled programming and go after some Hoosier malcontents very soon. Before we do though we would like to celebrate the fact that Donald Trump is gone from the White House. Now we must dedicate ourselves to the great tasks remaining. We must rebuild the true conservative movement of Reagan, Buckley, Goldwater and our late friend Gary Welsh. At the same time we must hold the Democrats and President Biden accountable. For now let’s get down and celebrate the Donald’s ouster!



Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Trump Is Almost Gone from the White House

It’s finally arrived. After what seems like a millennium, Donald Trump will be leaving office in about 12 hours. Although in a farewell message he did wish the new administration well. A lot of his supporters still cannot believe that he is actually leaving office and his paranoid fantasies about him actually winning have not helped. But Bill Maher has decided to take one last crack at convincing Trump that he is finished. 

Here’s Bill Maher succinctly explaining to Trump he is finished:



Friday, January 15, 2021

Happy 2021! Listen to these great tunes to perk you up!

Good Morning Fellow Freedom Fighters! Sorry we have been on hiatus for a month, but it has been insane these past four weeks, what with the Sedition Caucus in the House and Senate attempting to steal the presidential election for Donald Trump, the crazy Qanon Shaman marching through the Congressional Chambers, the Democrats winning control of the US Senate, and the month is only half over! 

Before we start taking a deep dive into state, local and national issues again. We thought a little musics would be in order! We have picked some songs for you all to relax too and to help lift us all up! Enjoy my children!

For The Longest Time Quarantine Edition:



For The Longest Time by Billy Joel (Original Version):



If You Wanna be Happy for the Rest of Your Life:



Come on Vaccine (Parody of Come on Eileen):




Come on Eileen:


Thursday, December 17, 2020

Dan Crenshaw Behaving Badly?


Congressman Dan Crenshaw RINO-Texas

Good evening fellow freedom fighters! There has been a lot of digs at Trump’s enablers, or as we call them the “Judas Iscariot’s of the GOP”. And here’s another broadside against the Cult of Trump.

Veteran and Congressman Dan Crenshaw of Texas. Who once showed promise but has since become a total Trump enabling pussy. If some activity on his Twitter account is any indication, Crenshaw might be into some bizarre activities. The Twitter verse has discovered that the Congressman follows Olivia May, a high priced escort on Twitter:



The Congressman responded by saying that neither him or anyone on his staff “purposely followed” Olivia May’s account:







Needless to say we find the Congressmen’s response over this to be unusual. He seems to take this more personally than he should be. Personally who he chooses to follow on Twitter or do on his own time we believe is his own business. But given his being a lapdog for Donald Trump he should have expect people to question his judgement. We would be curious to see what if anything Olivia May had to say about the Congressman. If they turn out to know each other that will make for some interesting gossip out of D.C.!

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

A Quick Word About the 2020 Election

We meant to write more sooner, but Thanksgiving was a hectic time for all of us here at the blog. It appears our prediction that Joe Biden would defeat Donald Trump was accurate, we were wrong in thinking Biden would take North Carolina and all of Maine’s electoral votes but otherwise our prediction for the Presidential race was spot on. Unfortunately we were correct in predicting Eric Holcomb’s re-election as Governor. Despite our predictions the Democrats lost ground in the House of Representatives but have picked up seats in the Senate and might gain control of the Senate after next month’s runoff elections in Georgia. 

In the state legislature republicans gained 4 seats to increase their numbers to 71-29, they lost one state senate seat and are down to 39-11 in the senate. So overall the Republicans did better than we thought they would although they still lost the Presidency. From what we can gather there obviously were many voters who wanted Trump tossed out (The IR Gang can be counted among them). But at the same time didn’t want to give the Democrats free reign over everything. As for the Senate races in Georgia although we would like to keep the Congress divided to keep more extreme Democrats in check. Given Senators Perdue and Loeffler’s insane pandering to Trump we won’t be too upset if they lose. There are already indications that Trump may have spread the idea that the election was rigged in Georgia so well that many Trump supporters are thinking of boycotting the Georgia Senate runoff election. Which if that does happen and the Democrats win both seats that would be quite a rebuke to the Orange Pussy Grabber-In-Chief. 

You will be hearing more from us in the near future on state, local and national politics. Until then you have been tuned into IR on your FM dial and we wish you all well and God Bless.

Monday, November 2, 2020

INDY REPUBLICAN’S 2020 Election Prediction’s and Some thoughts on the Future

Tomorrow is Election Day and we hope all of you have cast your votes. We have decided to give our election predictions for the Presidential, Congressional and State races on the ballot tomorrow. We also thought we would share our thoughts on what the future holds for all of us. But first here are our predictions:

President:

Although we were wrong in predicting the 2016 Presidential race, we have decided to take another crack at it this time. We predict that Donald Trump will win Indiana again. This time he will win by 7 to 15 points instead of the 20 he won last time. At the national level we predict with 90% certainty that Joe Biden will beat Donald Trump and be elected our next president. We base this on several factors: First, unlike Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden is not anywhere near as disliked as she was. Second, the Trump campaigns attempts to portray Biden as demented and senile failed miserably. If only because many people who dislike Biden are never going to believe that he is more unhinged than Trump. Trump’s non stop tirades on Twitter, at his rallies and his interviews, have worked Bigly towards making Trump look nuts, and by comparison making Biden look sane. There are several other reasons but they can be summed up by saying that Biden is winning independent, suburban and senior voters by YUGE margins! Where as in 2016 Trump won all three groups. Here is our final election prediction map:




Click the map to create your own at 270toWin.com

We are giving one of Nebraska's electoral votes and all of Maine’s to Biden. We predict that Biden will win back the three “blue wall” states: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Biden we also predict will win North Carolina, Georgia, and Arizona. Although on our map we gave Ohio & Florida to Trump we think those are a coin flip at this point, but out of charity we thought we would give them to Trump. We also give Biden a 45% chance of winning Texas. IR still believes that Trump pulls out a little win in the Lone Star State, but with more votes already having been cast in Texas than in 2016. A Trump loss is not out of the question. 

U.S. Senate/House of Representative races: 

We predict the Democrats will pickup a net gain of 4-6 Senate seats to take control of the Senate by either 51-49 or 53-47 margin. In the House the Democrats will pickup 5 to 20 seats.

Governor:

As much as it pains us to admit this, we predict that Eric Holcomb will get re-elected as Governor. We do give his Libertarian opponent and our friend Donald Rainwater a 30% chance of pulling a Jessie Ventura and winning but it looks more like we are going to be stuck with Holcomb and his bullying for four more years. 

State House/State Senate:

This year we believe that the Democrats will pickup 1 to 5 state house seats and pickup 1 to 3 state senate seats. We predict this due to the GOP’s decline in the suburban parts of the state. As well as the almost near extinction of the Marion County Republican Party. Look over the coming years to see the GOP continue to recede throughout urban and suburban counties, as well as for Democrats to have some mild rural resurgence in Indiana.

The Way Forward Post 2020:

Now that we have given you our predictions for the election. The question for our fellow political exiles is: Where Do We Go After 2020? This is a multi part question. Let us break it down for all of you:

What should be done about Trump’s enablers?

Among us and many fellow agitators on the Never Trump Right, there is a debate about whether to give any of Trump’s accomplices a break, overlook there betrayal of conservatism, and vote to keep them in office. in order to keep the Democrats in check, or should we throw them all to the curb? We have all long been on the side of kicking all of Trump’s lapdogs into oblivion. One thing that we would like to make perfectly clear is that we do not believe that it is a good idea to have one party in control of both Congress and the White House. We also did not vote for Joe Biden or Donald Trump. That being said we have absolutely no faith that ANY of Trump’s enablers will do ANYTHING to reign in any over reach committed by the Democrats. We have documented on this blog the Judases of the GOP such as 
Mike PenceMartha McSallyRand PaulRudy GiulianiErick Erickson, and Lindsey Graham. For these traitors who sold out for their thirty pieces of silver. There is to be no quarter asked for, none to be shown. In order for the country to move forward we must burn out the cancer of Trumpism. If that means we are temporarily stuck with the Democrats in charge of Congress then that is the penance we must pay. We must after all reap what we sow.

What should Never Trumpers approach be when working with opposition Democrats and Republicans?

We Never Trump Republicans need to understand that we are politically homeless and will be so for sometime. When dealing with opposition Democrats and Republicans. Our approach should be to oppose them when necessary, cooperate with them when it furthers the cause of liberty and freedom, and always hold others and ourselves accountable. Our approach is best summed up by the late great Winston Churchill:

“In War: Resolution,
  In Defeat: Defiance,
  In Victory: Magnanimity,
  In Peace: Goodwill.”

Last Question is: How do we move forward as Americans?

We will move forward as we always have. We will look forward to each and every new day. We will remember the lessons of the past and search for what the future holds. We are the can do people, we are the true melting pot of the world, we are in every way the embodiment of our nation’s motto: E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many One. Let us focus on building on America’s future and continue to defend, protect and uphold the Constitution of these United States. Let us defend it from all enemies foreign and domestic. Go in peace our brother and sister agitators! And to those who disagree with us, we will fight and defend your rights with as much zeal as we would our own. 

Praise be to GOD! Amen!