Former Delaware Department of Labor employee Michael Brittingham was able to embezzle nearly $42,890 from his role as treasurer of a homeowners association in Felton, Delaware while also working for the state government. Brittingham pleaded guilty to theft in 2019 and received a suspended prison sentence and probation. He was later promoted to a supervisory role within the Department of Labor, despite his criminal record. He was eventually found to be involved in setting up a fraudulent account to steal money from the state unemployment insurance trust fund. Brittingham also hired a childhood friend, Ashley Ronan, to help with cutting refund checks, leading her to unknowingly make payments to his LLC.
After the fraudulent activity was discovered, Brittingham was let go from his role and took his own life. The Department of Labor is now working to recover the stolen funds, but it is unclear how much progress has been made in this effort. The situation has raised questions about the lack of internal controls within the Department of Labor and calls for greater oversight and transparency within the agency. Efforts are being made to modernize the systems and background check policies within the agency to prevent similar incidents in the future. Ronan hopes that state leaders will take steps to address the issues within the Department of Labor and ensure greater transparency moving forward.
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