Related Federal Cases
- Micheal Guzman, $4M Employer Fraud, North Carolina 2023 · New York
- Bradley Reifler, Wire Fraud, North Carolina 2023 · Washington
- Michael Johnson, Obstruction of Justice, North Carolina 2023 · New York
- William Dalton Edwards, Cattle Theft Conspiracy, North Carolina 2022 · Oklahoma
- Duke Energy Corporation, Gun-Jumping, North Carolina 2024 · New York
Former Postal Employee Pleads Guilty to Workers’ Compensation Fraud
In a brazen case of deceit, Johnnie Franklin Sullivan, Sr., 73, of Mooresville, N.C., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan C. Rodriguez and pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud for a job-connected injury, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Juice was squeezed out of the system, as federal investigators uncovered that Sullivan, Sr. made false statements and material misrepresentations regarding his physical abilities and medical restrictions to receive over $103,261 in workers’ compensation.
Sullivan, Sr. was employed by the U.S. Postal Service as a mail processing clerk in Charlotte. In May 2005, Sullivan, Sr. sustained an injury at work. Later that year, Sullivan, Sr. began to receive workers’ compensation benefits administered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) for employees covered by the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). In order to receive and maintain FECA benefits, Sullivan, Sr. was required to submit periodic reports regarding his physical condition and his inability to perform a Postal Service job.
Court documents show that, on multiple occasions, Sullivan, Sr. made false statements and material misrepresentations regarding his physical abilities and medical restrictions. Among the false claims Sullivan, Sr. made was that he was unable to sit for long periods of time, that he could only drive short distances, that he needed to use a cane when he walked, and that he was unable to travel or engage in hobbies and other recreational activities due to his medical condition. As a result of the false statements, over the years Sullivan, Sr. received payments totaling more than $103,261.
For example, Sullivan, Sr. posted photos of himself traveling to places in Europe and the United States; walking long distances over different types of terrain; ziplining in Niagara Falls, New York; using surf boards and boogie boards during beach vacations; and participating in shag dancing events. ‘For years, Sullivan, Sr. lied about his pain and suffering caused by an on-the-job injury to bilk the federal workers’ compensation program out of thousands of dollars, and used the funds to pay for recreational activities,’ said U.S. Attorney King.
Sullivan, Sr. pleaded guilty to making a false report in connection with federal compensation benefits and theft of government funds. He was released on bond after the court hearing. A sentencing date has not been set.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is in charge of the prosecution.
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
