It’s tempting to blame the bureaucracy and wonder how in the world an intermittent customer service representative could have gotten away with fraudulently releasing nearly $800,000 in Public Unemployment Assistance, but in this case, the bureaucracy got it right.

When Donesha Shepard was hired by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services in May 2021, she was supposed to be reviewing PUA claims to determine whether claimants were eligible to receive funds. She allegedly turned that post into a lucrative scheme.

Shepard was reportedly so bold in her criminal activity that she posted on social media that she could remove, for a fee, the fraud holds or denial-of-benefit designations on PUA claims for ineligible claimants, according to a report by the Ohio Inspector General’s office.

Should she be found guilty, it is a testament to the Office of the Ohio Inspector General, Ohio State Highway Patrol, U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, and ODJFS, as the group works to address rampant fraud in the PUA program.

As it proceeds, the group must continue to bring to justice those who were willing to exploit for personal gain a program that was meant to usher Buckeye State residents through a pandemic.