A Jefferson woman must pay the state more than $10,000 in restitution and could go to jail for fraudulently collecting unemployment for almost a year.
Sarah L. Jones, 46, recently pleaded guilty to Class C theft by deception, a felony. Jones continued to receive benefits while employed from Jan. 19, 2010 to Dec. 11, 2010, according to a Sept. 10, 2013 indictment.
A May 2 court order will delay sentence for two years. Jones has to pay $500 a month restitution to the Maine Department of Labor during the two years. If she does so and does not commit any other crime, the state will reduce the charge to a misdemeanor.
Jones would then receive a sentence of 364 days with all but a maximum of four months suspended, plus a year of probation. She would also have to pay the remainder of the restitution.
The four-month initial sentence is a cap, which means the court could choose to suspend the entire sentence or impose any initial sentence up to four months. If Jones were to violate her probation, she could return to jail for the full 364 days.
If Jones fails to make the monthly restitution payments or otherwise violates the May 2 court order, she could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, the maximum penalty for a Class C felony.
Jones will appear in Lincoln County Superior Court in Wiscasset at 1 p.m., April 30, 2016 for a hearing to determine the outcome of the case.
The precise amount of the benefits Jones collected while employed was not clear, although the restitution order indicates the figure exceeds $12,000. The prosecutor for the state, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Wright, did not respond to interview requests.
