January 21, 2019 WORKERS COMP FRAUD — NEW YORK AMOUNT: >100K

A 41-year-old volunteer firefighter faces multiple fraud charges for working at several different jobs while out on disability and accepting more than $100,000 in state benefits. He was injured while working for Rockland Psychiatric Center as a safety and security officer in March of 2016. He went on workers compensation leave through late June 2016, and from mid-July to mid-December of 2016. During his absences from the Psych Center he was medically examined several times, each time asserting that he was not working in any capacity. An investigation determined that during his leave he had been several side jobs, such as working part-time as a fire inspector and hazmat instructor for the Rockland Fire and Emergency Services, responding to emergency calls for the Monsey Fire Department, and driving for Emunah Transportation, which received Medicaid payments. He also started his own Medicaid-paid taxi transportation business when he first went on leave, and operated the business illegally in that he failed to provide his employees with workers compensation benefits. During the time he was on disability from his Psych Center job, he collected more than $24,000 in workers compensation. He was arrested on felony counts of second-degree grand larceny, third degree grand larceny, third-degree insurance fraud, two counts of first-degree falsifying business records, and two counts each of the workers compensation crimes of failure to secure compensation and fraudulent practices.