Former Robins employee sentenced for fraud

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ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) --  A former Robins employee was recently sentenced to five months imprisonment, five months house arrest with electronic monitoring and three years supervised probation after being convicted of Federal Employees' Compensation Act fraud.

A U.S. district judge also ordered the former aircraft electrician to pay $97,635.13 after being found guilty of falsely declaring no earnings and no change in disability on his annual certification forms from 1998 to 2001. An anonymous tip helped investigators prove the employee was paid for carpentry, painting and construction work from 1997 to 2001, according to JoAnn Hutchison, work force effectiveness branch chief here.

Federal laws governing employee compensation benefits require recipients to report changes to medical or employment status, Hutchison said. They are also required to accurately report all earnings during an annual certification.

The former Robins employee pleaded guilty Jan. 6 to charges of making false statements in connection with receipt of Federal Workers' Compensation benefits, Hutchinson said.

In April 1989, the former employee was injured on the job, according to his plea agreement. He returned to work but claimed recurrences of the disability, the last in July 1995. The employee began receiving benefits in August 1995 and continued through November 2001.

"Submitting a claim for an injury that didn't occur on the job is a crime," Hutchison said. "Falsifying any part of a claim is also a crime, even if no benefits are paid against that claim."

According to Hutchison, Robins currently pays more than $12 million in workers' compensation benefits annually to current and former employees. People legitimately injured and disabled are entitled to receive those benefits, but workers making false claims are subject to serious repercussions.

"There's an active investigative program on Robins dedicated to uncovering other fraudulent cases such as this," she said. "These individuals are breaking the law and costing Robins hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.”

Fraudulent receipt of Federal Employees' Compensation Act benefits is a serious offense, and according to Hutchison, the Air Force is taking an aggressive stance in detecting and prosecuting offenders.

To report people suspected of receiving benefits fraudulently, call and FECA investigator or local injury compensation unit. (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service)