Washington state officials have acknowledged losing “hundreds of millions of dollars” to an international fraud scheme that stung the state’s unemployment insurance system and could mean even longer delays for thousands of jobless workers still waiting for legitimate benefits. Suzi LeVine, commissioner of the state Employment Security Department (ESD), disclosed the staggering losses during a news conference Thursday afternoon. LeVine declined to specify how much money was stolen during the scam, which is believed to be orchestrated out of Nigeria. But she conceded that the amount was “orders of magnitude above” the ... (full story)