Fourteen people from the D.C. area were arrested and charged today with collecting unemployment benefits while employed, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia’s office.

The defendants, all from D.C., Maryland and Virginia, are accused of stealing between $13,343 and $23,220 from the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services. The fourteen were charged first-degree felony fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

“Unemployment benefits provide basic assistance to people who have fallen on hard times while they search for new work,” Ronald Machen, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a release. “Cheaters who lie to obtain those benefits undermine our ability to help those who are truly in need. The arrests and charges announced today demonstrate our resolve to protect the taxpayer from abuse of critical public programs.”

The unemployment rate in D.C. is currently 8.6 percent, while the region’s rate is 5.5 percent.