State Youth Aide Arrested in Disability Fraud

ALBANY, NY (05/07/2008)(readMedia)-- The Office of the New York State Inspector General announced the arrest today of a state Office of Children and Family Services employee in connection with a Workers’ Compensation scam that netted him nearly $6,000.

Youth Division Aide Ronnie Wesley, 51, of Queens, was arraigned in Albany City Court on charges of defrauding the government and offering a false instrument for filing, both Class E felonies.

Wesley claimed he was injured at work on September 12, 2007, while riding in an elevator which, he initially said, dropped several floors, hurting his neck, back and legs. None of his fellow passengers filed injury claims.

Wesley claimed he was too disabled to work at his day job at OCFS’ Ella McQueen Residential Center in Brooklyn, where he sometimes must restrain persons in custody. Wesley also told the Workers’ Compensation Board that he had no other employment and did not perform any other work during his alleged disability. However, Wesley continued to work a second, full-time clerk job at the United States Postal Service’s Processing and Delivery Center in Brooklyn, while receiving disability payments from the New York State Insurance Fund. During this time period, Wesley was paid $5,919 by the state.

In fact, the day Wesley was allegedly injured, Sept. 12, 2007, he worked a complete 11 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. shift. He continued to work this second job -- earning roughly $50,000 per year -- without interruption for the next several months.

“Thanks to the cooperation of state and federal agencies, we were able to halt fraudulent insurance payments,” Acting Inspector General Dennis E. Martin said. “I commend the efforts of all the investigators.”

The joint investigation was conducted by NYS Inspector General Investigator James Carroll and Workers’ Compensation Board Inspector General Investigator Martin Rosenberg, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General’s Special Agent Jackie Ventura, the New York State Insurance Fund and New York State Police.

Wesley has been a postal employee since 1980. He filed the disability claim two months after OCFS denied his annual request to work a second job. His current OCFS salary is $44,000 per year. Wesley has been with OCFS since 1990. He was charged in Albany because that is the filing location of his Workers’ Compensation claim forms.

Wesley was arraigned before City Court Judge Rachel Kretser and released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court May 21.

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