Kentucky Gov. Beshear apologized to a man named Tupac Shakur after he accused him of using a fake name to file for unemployment

• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear apologized to local a man named Tupac Shakur after he accused him of using a fake name to file for unemployment.
• Tupac Shakur, 46, lives in Lexington and was laid off from his job as a cook at a local restaurant that closed due to COVID-19. He filed for unemployment last month.
• According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Beshear called Shakur to personally apologize on Tuesday morning.
• The Labor Department reported that 4.4 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance last week, bringing the five-week total to about 26.5 million.
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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear apologized to local a man named Tupac Shakur after he accused him of using a fake name to file for unemployment.

Beshear called out Shakur during a press briefing on Monday, criticizing people who were apparently using fake names to reap state benefits.

"Unfortunately, it's gonna take a little bit of time ... because a couple of bad apples can make this challenge that much more difficult," he said.

"For instance, we had somebody apply for unemployment for Tupac Shakur here in Kentucky, and that person probably thought they were being funny," he added.

But Shakur wasn't being funny — the 46-year-old lives in Lexington and was laid off from his job as a cook at a local restaurant that closed due to COVID-19. He filed for unemployment last month.

"I'm hurt, I'm really embarrassed and I'm shocked," Shakur told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Shakur, who goes by the name Malik, told the outlet that he legally changed his name in 1998 after converting to Islam. He says people usually laugh or think it's cool when they hear that he shares a name with the late rapper, who died in 1996.

According to the Herald-Leader, Beshear called Shakur to personally apologize on Tuesday morning.

"I understand, he's dealing with a lot," Shakur told the outlet. "Mistakes happen."

Beshear said on Monday that the state is sifting through an "unprecedented wave of unemployment insurance claims" and has processed nearly 283,000 claims from March. He said an additional 149,000 claims from March and April would be processed on Monday night.

"Our goal is to get through those last March claims this week," Beshear said. "If you filed in March and you haven't received anything yet, I'll be darned if we are not going to get it done this week."

A record number of people have filed for unemployment in the US in recent weeks after losing their jobs due to lockdown measures imposed to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. As of Tuesday evening, more than one million Americans have been infected with the virus, and over 58,000 people have died.

The Labor Department reported that 4.4 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance last week, bringing the five-week total to about 26.5 million.