An open government group has asked the Delaware General Assembly to investigate an undisclosed embezzlement problem at the state Department of Labor’s Division of Unemployment Insurance.

John Flaherty, Delaware Coalition for Open Government (DelCOG) board member, said the investigation request follows a May 6 story by WHYY News about a former Delaware Department of Labor supervisor who embezzled more than $181,000 from the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund in 2023.

The state did not reveal the embezzlement despite state law specifying the disclosure of illegal activity in their official reports, Flaherty said.

“The disclosure of all this came about through the article on WHYY radio,” he said. “We felt that the news media should not have to be the one that would disclose these kinds of violations of public trust.”

The Delaware Department of Labor and state Auditor’s Office were working to provide statements regarding the issue Thursday morning.

UNLOCKING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS: What to know about filing in Delaware

According to the WHYY News’ May 6 story, the state’s Labor Department “acknowledged that former unemployment insurance administrator, Michael Brittingham, stole the money last year. Brittingham took his own life in April 2023 shortly after he was told he was under investigation.”

According to his obituary, Brittingham worked for the Delaware Department of Labor as a tax administrator. He was 37 at the time of his death on April 3, 2023. He’d been living in the Harrington area.

This story will be updated as more information is made available.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Stolen money at Delaware labor department prompts investigation calls