My dear readers may recall the tragic tale of Edward Idukas who was accused of committing workers’ compensation fraud.  This former police officer was recently sentenced to 120 days in jail after pleading guilty to two counts of felony workers’ compensation fraud.  Former officer Idukas was also ordered to repay $120,000 in restitution and has lost his job.

(Special thanks to Mr. T K for the tip)

It is particularly sad to see a law enforcement officer engaged in such behavior – this man was entrusted with a badge and a gun.  He no doubt participated in several investigations, possibly testified for the prosecution in various cases, and was responsible for enforcing the law.

Given his lack of commitment to the truth and honesty, how many citations could we suspect were handed out to fill a quota instead of to punish an actual violation of the law?  How many dollars will the state now spend fighting conviction appeals from criminals who will claim that Mr. Idukas’s testimony in their respective cases was invalid?

Hopefully, future diligence will prevent such enormous costs to the public and such stains upon the reputation of law enforcement.