Troopers: Schenectady man stole more than $26K in unemployment benefits

SCHENECTADY – A Schenectady man has been arrested, accused of taking more than $26,000 in unemployment benefits he wasn’t entitled to, state police said.

Andre Branchel, 20, of Schenectady, was charged last week with one count each of third-degree grand larceny and first-degree identity theft, felonies.

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Troopers arrested Branchel after a lengthy investigation by the state Office of Inspector General, state police said.

Branchel is accused of using the identity of another person to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits totaling more than $26,000 that he wasn’t entitled to, state police said.