Unemployment Insurance Fraud Criminal Sentenced to Prison and Ordered to Pay Back the State

Columbia, S.C. – “On January 11, 2023, Diana B. Jordan, the leader of a fraud ring that stole tens of thousands of dollars from the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) system over an eleven-year period, was convicted of fraud and other crimes,” stated S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey.  

Diana Jordan and her accomplices were arrested in 2015 by the Attorney General’s Office for their crimes. The trial was delayed due to the pandemic and occurred on January 11, 2023. Ms. Jordan was charged with four counts of forgery and four counts of making a false statement (or misrepresentation). A jury found her guilty on all counts.

The judge sentenced Ms. Jordan to serve a one-year active sentence in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center followed by five years of probation upon completion of her prison sentence. She is additionally ordered to pay back $39,998.70 in restitution fees owed to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.

The case was tried in front of a jury in the Richland County Court of General Sessions. The case was prosecuted by Steven Jordan, Senior Legal Counsel at the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.

“At the end of her trial, the jury found Ms. Jordan guilty of every charge brought against her,” said Steven Jordan. “We are very happy with the results of the trial and that this defendant will be held accountable for her attempts to defraud South Carolina’s taxpayers.”

“There are severe consequences to committing UI fraud and Diana Jordan’s sentence is a testament to that,” continued Ellzey. “Filing for unemployment benefits while not disclosing wages is considered a criminal act in South Carolina. You can rest assured that our agency will prosecute people like Ms. Jordan to the fullest extent of the law. Her trial should be a warning to any criminal wanting to take advantage of the UI system. I commend the exceptional staff in our agency’s Fraud Department for their years of investigative work that went into this case, the Attorney General’s Office for providing reinforcement, and the Honorable Robert E. Hood in the Fifth Judicial Circuit for making this important ruling.”