View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2019/05/09/526006.htm
Investigators from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office have charged a 56- year-old New York man with grand larceny in the third degree, a class D felony, and penalties for fraudulent practices, a class E felony.
Robert Marra of Crawford, N.Y., was arrested as a result of a collaborative investigation conducted by members of the New York State Department of Financial Services, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
“Abusing the workers’ compensation system is a crime that victimizes all honest New Yorkers who contribute part of their paycheck to help employees injured while on the job,” New York State Department of Financial Services spokesperson Linda Lacewell stated in a press release issued by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation revealed that Marra, who is deemed to be fully disabled, falsely reported the extent of his injuries to doctors and independent medical examiners. He has since participated in approximately 12 Spartan-style races that are comprised of strenuous activities. Some of the activities involved were spear throw, horizontal wall traverse, barbed wire crawl, wall jumps, rope climb, bucket carry, inverted wall, rolling mud and burpees.
In addition to those activities, Marra participated in a strenuous Ibex Hunt, in Spain, that requires good physical conditioning due to the difficulty of the terrain. As a result of the false claim of disability, Marra received $33,700 in benefits from the New York State Workers’ Compensation fund that he was not entitled to.
Marra was arraigned before the Honorable Judge Clarino, of Newburgh Town Court, and released on his own recognizance pending a future court appearance in the Town of Crawford Court.
“This successful, collaborative effort has resulted in ending a fraud that was perpetrated on a fund resource that was designed to aid those who have legitimate disabilities,” Orange County Sheriff Carl E. DuBois stated in the release.
A criminal charge is merely an allegation by the police that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s responsibility to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: Orange County Sheriff’s Office