CNY judge resigns after admitting he received unemployment benefits he shouldn’t have taken

New Hartford — A Central New York judge has resigned after he was accused of illegally receiving nearly $14,000 in unemployment insurance benefits that he was not entitled to.
In July, Kevin E. Copeland, a justice of the New Hartford Town Court in Oneida County, was served with a formal written complaint from the state Department of Labor alleging Copeland received unemployment benefits he shouldn’t have received, according to Marisa E. Harrison, the state Commission on Judicial Conduct spokesperson.
The labor department found that Copeland made a “factually false statement” and “concealed pertinent” information regarding his compensation as a judge. He received nearly $14,000 in unemployment insurance benefits he was not entitled to, Harrison said.