A former mail handler in Florida was recently sentenced to six years’ supervised release for workers’ compensation fraud.
The employee reported sustaining a shoulder strain while on the job in 2024, and his doctor deemed him disabled and unable to return to work. The Labor Department began issuing him tax-free monthly payments of $2,500.
The Postal Service Office of Inspector General, or OIG, received an allegation of workers’ compensation fraud. OIG special agents worked with the Department of Homeland Security and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Task Force to investigate the allegations.
Postal Service policy requires employees to report any physical improvements that would allow them to return to work, and they must report any outside income or employment.
The employee’s own social media posts, which showed him participating in gym workouts and swimming in the ocean, aided the investigators. He also posted about how he cycled 100 miles in one day.
Investigators also discovered that the employee had not reported earnings from his mobile detailing business, so they brought the case to the Florida State Attorney’s Office for criminal prosecution.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two days of time served, six years of supervised release and 150 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay back $45,000.
“If you commit this type of fraud, you will get caught, and you will lose your job and could end up with a criminal record,” USPS Inspector General Tammy Hull said.
The OIG recently highlighted the case on its website.
If you know of a USPS employee committing workers’ compensation fraud, report it to the OIG.
