A Plymouth man was arrested on a felony warrant on Wednesday, September 20th for Welfare Fraud.
Detective 1st Sergeant Les McFarland with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department was working with Detective Purdy from the Indiana State Police on cases where jail inmates from various jails applied for unemployment while incarcerated.
Detective McFarland obtained information from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development that 53-year-old Dustin A. Kanschat who lives in the Creekside Mobile Home Park in LaPaz was incarcerated in the Marshall County Jail from November 13, 2020, to March 3, 2021, charged with auto theft. Kanschat filed unemployment claims from 8/15/2020 to 6/26/21. Workforce Development confirmed that an unemployment application was filed, and weekly vouchers were filed for Dustin Kanschat.
In March of 2022 Detective McFarland spoke with Kanschat and he did not want to give a statement. The detective listened to jail telephone calls between Kanschat and Brittnie Kanschat where the two discussed unemployment.
Workforce Development paperwork shows that the account has a fraud amount of $4,023. Workforce Development sent a statement to Dustin Kanschat, which he completed and returned to Workforce Development. Dustin Kanschat did not respond to the questions.
Dustin Kanschat was lodged in the Marshall County Jail on Wednesday, September 20th at about 3:30 in the afternoon for the Welfare Fraud charge. He was held on a $3,000 cash bond.
Readers are reminded that charging information supported by an affidavit of probable cause is merely an allegation that a crime has been committed and that there is only probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. They are presumed innocent throughout the proceedings and are entitled to be represented by counsel and entitled to a trial jury at which the State is obligated to provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt before a judgment of guilt may be made.
