The state of Illinois wrongfully handed out billions of dollars in unemployment tax money during the COVID-19 pandemic, with tens of millions going to people who were either dead or in prison, according to a recently disclosed audit.
On July 27, the Illinois auditor general released a report detailing $5.2 billion in “overpayments” from the state agency responsible for distributing unemployment benefits between fiscal years 2020 and 2022. This paper is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the widespread fraud and overpayments that took place in Illinois during the pandemic.
