Former State Employee Pleads Guilty to Bribery Conspiracy
Summary
Press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan, dated August 28, 2025. Janine Rayford, a former employee of the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, pleaded guilty before Judge Judith E. Levy to conspiring to commit federal program bribery and to aggravated identity theft. According to court records, she accepted more than $50,000 in bribe payments, accessed claims without authorization and dismissed fraud prevention triggers, including on claims she knew to be fraudulent. She acknowledged that more than $2.86 million in unemployment insurance assistance funding was issued to third-party claimants. Sentencing is set for January 8, 2026; she faces a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft and up to 5 years for the bribery conspiracy.
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“Former State Employee Pleads Guilty to Bribery Conspiracy.”
Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2025-09-05-former-state-employee-pleads-guilty-to-bribery-conspiracy-i-c0a0da9eea/
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United States Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of Michigan
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Gina Balaya
August 28, 2025 Public Affairs Officer
EDMI.gov | @USAO_MIE Gina.Balaya@usdoj.gov
Former State Employee Pleads Guilty to Bribery Conspiracy Involving More Than $2.8 Million
in Unemployment Insurance Assistance Funding
DETROIT – A former employee of the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency pleaded
guilty today to conspiring to commit federal program bribery and engaging in aggravated
identity theft, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.
Joining in the announcement were Joseph Cuffari, Inspector General, Department of Homeland
Security—Office of Inspector General; Megan Howell, Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes
Region, U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General; Acting Special Agent in Charge
Reuben Coleman, Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Jason Palmer, Director of the State of
Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency
Janine Rayford, 39, of Redford, pleaded guilty before Judge Judith E. Levy.
According to court records, while working for the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency,
Rayford accepted more than $50,000 in bribe payments. Rayford admitted that as part of the
bribery conspiracy, she personally accessed unemployment insurance assistance claims
without authorization; improperly dismissed and closed fraud prevention triggers and
information requests relating to claims, including claims she knew to be fraudulent; and caused
improper benefit payments to be issued. Rayford acknowledged that as a result of the illicit
conduct in which she engaged, more than $2.86 million in unemployment insurance assistance
funding was issued to third-party claimants.
Sentencing is set for January 8, 2026, before Judge Levy. Rayford faces a mandatory two-year
sentence of imprisonment for having engaged in aggravated identity theft and also faces up to
5 years’ imprisonment for having conspired to engaged in federal program bribery.
U.S. Attorney Gorgon stated, “If you’re a public official whose side hustle is taking bribes, your
next job will be answering to a judge. Corruption destroys public trust in government and will
be aggressively prosecuted by my office.”
“Former Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency employee, Janine Rayford, abused her
position by misusing her access to sensitive employment information and state data systems to
defraud the unemployment insurance program for personal financial gain,” said Megan Howell,
Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector
General. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate those
who seek to exploit these critical U.S. Department of Labor programs.”
“Today’s guilty plea sends a clear and powerful message that fraud against the United States
Government and public officials profiting at the expense of the public will never be tolerated,”
said Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “I would
like to thank our FBI Detroit Area Corruption Task Force for their diligent work alongside our
federal and state partners to ensure justice is preserved and the public’s trust is protected.”
“This plea sends a powerful message that no one is above the law, not even those who work
for the UIA,” said UIA Director Jason Palmer. “Our staff is required to adhere to strict ethics
guidelines. Janine Rayford willingly violated that professional code of conduct, betraying her
colleagues and the taxpayers of Michigan for her own short-sighted financial gain. We will not
tolerate conspirators who selfishly steal from the very people they are supposed to be serving.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Yahkind. The
investigation is being conducted jointly by the Department of Homeland Security—Office of
Inspector General, Department of Labor—Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, and the Unemployment Insurance Agency, Michigan Department of Labor and
Economic Opportunity
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