Governor apologises to man named Tupac Shakur after accusing him of unemployment fraud

A Kentucky governor has been forced to apologise after accusing a man named Tupac Shakur of unemployment fraud.

Andy Beshear assumed the chef, who lost his job due to the coronavirus pandemic, was using the late rapper’s name on unemployment forms as a “prank”.

In a press conference, Beshear had called Shakur out for "using somebody else's identity”, saying: "That person probably felt they were being funny, except for the fact that, because of them, we've got to go through so many other claims."

Beshear later revealed Shakur had in fact been using his real name and expressed his regret over the mix-up. "I talked to him on the phone today, and I apologised," he said.

"I told him how it happened, but I owned it. It's my fault. He was gracious. I said I'm sorry if I embarrassed him or caused him any attention he didn't want, and he was very kind. He ended the call with, 'God bless.'"

Shakur told the Lexington Herald-Leader that he never expected his name to get in the way of receiving unemployment benefits.

“That’s just my name," he said. “I've been struggling for like the last month trying to figure out how to pay the bills… I'm hurt, I'm really embarrassed and I'm shocked.”

The rapper Tupac died in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, in 1996.