Aggressive action needed to recoup lost funds and provide unemployment relief to small businesses In an audit completed by Comptroller DiNapoli it was revealed that the state Labor Department paid out $11 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims during COVID. For months, I joined my legislative colleagues in calling out the Labor Department for not answering calls for help from the unemployed, with many constituents going through our were newly unemployed due to the COVID-mandated lockdowns put on by the Cuomo and Hochul administrations.