Middlebury Man Charged with Larceny, Unemployment Compensation Fraud

A Middlebury man was arrested Thursday, Dec. 17, and charged with illegally collecting more than $6,000 in Unemployment Compensation benefits.

Bruce P. Reding, 51, of 55 Fenn Road, Middlebury, was charged with one count each of:

• Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community
• Unemployment Compensation Fraud

The arrest is the result of an investigation by the Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney following a complaint by the Connecticut Department of Labor.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Reding allegedly fraudulently collected approximately $6,544 in unemployment benefits from May through August 2013 when he was employed.

Reding was released on a $10,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court, G.A. No. 15, on December 22.

Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community is a Class B felony punishable by not less than one year nor more than 20 years in prison and/or up to a $15,000 fine.

Unemployment Compensation Fraud in excess of $500 is a Class D felony punishable by not less than 1 year nor more than 5 years in prison and/or up to a $5,000 fine.

The above information was provided by the State of Connecticut’s Division of Criminal Justice.