Man sought in theft case after failing to appear in court

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a Kalispell man after he failed to appear for his initial hearing Thursday.

Jose Bernabe, 41, is charged with felony theft and misdemeanor unsworn falsification to authorities after allegedly collecting nearly $20,000 in unemployment benefits for which he was ineligible.

According to a court document prepared by Joseph Nevin, a special prosecutor from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry assigned to the case, Bernabe filed fraudulent reports indicating he was not working for a period of 70 weeks, during which time he was working at Swank Enterprises.

The document further alleges Bernabe blamed the illegal collection on an ex-girlfriend, claiming she knew his personal information and must have filed for them herself. He also allegedly filed a written statement with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office indicating an unemployment office employee “told me the money was being direct-deposited into a bank in Nevada.”

A criminal investigation into his claims allegedly showed that the unemployment office employee never told him about a Nevada bank and that the money was direct-deposited into a First Montana Bank account accessible only to Bernabe and his wife.

In addition to the almost $20,000 in benefits, a roughly $6,000 penalty is also being sought from Bernabe.

During Thursday’s hearing, Nevin said a summons had been issued for Bernabe to appear, but that he had no proof of whether or not Bernabe received it. At his request, District Judge Robert Allison issued a no-bond warrant for Bernabe’s arrest.