A former correction officer with the Suffolk County sheriff’s department has been sentenced for fraudulently obtaining nearly $38,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. Jasmine Murphy, 39, received a sentence of two years of supervised release and one day in prison, which she has already served. She was also ordered to pay $37,576 in restitution.
Murphy pleaded guilty in April to seven counts of wire fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution, according to the office of Leah B. Foley, the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts. Prosecutors said Murphy worked as a correction officer from January 2022 through December 2024, but had filed fraudulent applications for pandemic unemployment and small business loan benefits prior to that period, during her employment at a trucking and workforce services company.
While working at the trucking company, Murphy falsely reported her employment status on benefits applications. Prosecutors detailed that she submitted weekly claims indicating she did not work or earn income in the previous week. Additionally, in her small business loan applications, Murphy allegedly provided false income and payroll information to lenders. Court records also reveal that she used an outdated address, altered her middle initial, and modified parts of her Social Security number and birthdate on some applications.
Notably, Murphy received some of these benefits while employed at the sheriff’s department, prosecutors said. She was arrested and charged in December 2024.
In a related case, another correction officer, Christnel Orisca, who served from 2021 to 2024 at the same department, was indicted in December 2025. Orisca faces five counts of wire fraud and one count of making false statements to secure federal benefits. Prosecutors allege he fraudulently obtained approximately $54,700 in pandemic unemployment and small business loan funds. Both cases remain part of ongoing investigations into pandemic-related federal benefit fraud.