$20M recovered from Illinois unemployment cheats
The Illinois Department of Employment Security says it has recovered more than $20 million from people who wrongfully collected unemployment insurance benefits.
The agency says it garnished the federal tax returns of people who collected the benefits while working another job.
IDES Director Jay Rowell says recovering the money reduces the cost of doing business in Illinois.
This is the first year IDES has been able to garnish federal tax returns.
The agency says it recovered almost $16 million through federal garnishment and the rest was paid by people after they were told their tax return would be garnished.
The agency says it hopes to recover $158 million and says the initiative will save the state $40 million per year.
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