2 charged in benefits fraud.

• Position: LOCAL NEWS

Two Central Massachusetts men face fraud charges for allegedly collecting unemployment checks while they were working full time, without reporting the income, according to the office of Attorney General Martha Coakley. Seven others in the state were also charged. In all, the alleged fraud totals $163,000, according to a news release.

The cases are the result of investigations referred to the attorney general by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development's Division of Unemployment Assistance.

A Suffolk County grand jury returned indictments recently against the nine.

The area men are Robert Hurtubise, 49, of Ashburnham and Manuel Morales, 51, of Southbridge.

Mr. Hurtubise is charged with 47 counts of unemployment fraud and larceny over $250.

Authorities said Mr. Hurtubise applied for and received unemployment benefits from the Division of Unemployment Assistance on two occasions between January 2008 and October 2009. During that time, he was allegedly working full time for the same employer and failed to disclose his employment status to the Division of Unemployment Assistance.

For each of the 47 weeks that Mr. Hurtubise collected unemployment benefits he allegedly notified the agency that...