Too Disabled for the Postal Route, But Fit for the Ski Slopes
Skiing is a wonderful sport. It can do wonders for your entire body, allows you to breathe fresh, cool, air, and can even keep the worst of your symptoms in check. Not really… Here’s a pro-tip: if you’re off work on workers’ compensation and the “gubmn’t” is paying you workers’ compensation benefits because you allegedly can’t work, DO NOT go skiing.
Mark E. Leung has been indicted on 11-counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, making false statements to obtain federal workers’ compensation. What did this fraudster do to warrant the slow and steady hand of justice? Apparently, after sustaining a work-related injury in 1987 while working for the United States Post Office near Tahoe, CA, he continued working until around September of 2007, when he began to claim that he was totally disabled. He received roughly $160,000 between then and November of 2012.
So where’s the fraud? Unless the U.S. Post Office established a mail route to the top of the Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, Mr. Leung was not so disabled. He enjoyed at least 40 days on the slopes of each ski season, and was observed performing arduous physical labor on numerous days.
Now, bear in mind, dear readers, your humble blogger does not expect anything less from fraudsters. Mosquitoes suck blood, bees make honey, and fraudsters commit acts of fraud – nothing to be surprised about. But for over five years this guy was enjoying the slopes and collecting benefits, while my postman had to carry more and more mail himself with less help around. What took so long?
Often enough we’ve seen stories of benefits being paid out and fed-up business owners or diligent adjusters catching the fraudsters red-handed… but does the government not react until a disgruntled co-worker or feuding neighbor blows the whistle?