A Juneau woman has been indicted on 17 felonies and two misdemeanors for fraud related to the Permanent Fund Dividend and unemployment benefits.
According to grand jury documents dated Wednesday, Heidi Lynn Erickson falsely applied for and received Dividends between 2009 and 2015, and improperly took unemployment benefits between 2011 and spring 2016.
The case was brought by the state’s Office of Special Prosecutions, which specializes in PFD fraud.
Her case has been assigned to Juneau Superior Court Judge Louis Menendez, and an arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 2.
The same grand jury also indicted Terry Borer for first-degree burglary and second-degree burglary in connection to an Aug. 11 incident in Hoonah.
Michael Whiting of Juneau was also indicted Wednesday for first-degree vehicle theft, a felony, for an Oct. 17 incident in which he allegedly took the keys for a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado from a Mendenhall Auto Center employee and drove the vehicle from the lot without permission. “Whiting was not the owner of the vehicle and did not have any association with said vehicle,” charging documents state.
More burglaries
Last Wednesday, Oct. 12, a Juneau grand jury indicted a Juneau man for first-degree burglary, a Class B felony, for allegedly ransacking the apartment of an acquaintance in Haines. Joshua Duane Wilson was arrested by a Haines Police Department officer after receiving a report from a man who was beaten in his home and had his apartment ransacked, allegedly by Wilson. Bloodstains and fingerprints at the scene were linked to Wilson, charging documents state.
Another man was indicted on burglary charges connected to the mid-September burglary of the Haines Public Library. William Whittington was charged with two counts of second-degree burglary. Both counts are Class C felonies. According to charging documents, Whittington was linked to the crime via a shoe-print left at the scene. After being confronted by police, according to the documents, “Whittington apologized for breaking into the library and described how he broke into the building.” A camera, credit card, and about $137 were taken from the building.
