More L.I.R.R. Retirees Charged in Disability Fraud

[alp227]

Source: NY Times

Ten retirees from the Long Island Rail Road were charged on Tuesday with filing fraudulent disability claims to increase their pension payouts in what prosecutors called a “massive fraud scheme.”

Their arrests bring to 21 the number of people charged, including two physicians accused of giving false diagnoses of disabilities, in a plot that prosecutors have said could have led to more than $1 billion in excessive pension payouts.

With the arrest count growing, the authorities also announced on Tuesday an amnesty program for retirees who acknowledge having made false statements to win disability payments. The program does not require those who come forward by July 6 to return disability money they have already received.

(...)

The federal investigation followed a series of articles by The New York Times in 2008 that revealed that nearly every one of the railroad’s retirees had applied for and received a disability pension. Prosecutors have said many of those who claimed they were too disabled to work nonetheless had robust hobbies, including biking, golf and tennis.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/nyregion/more-lirr-retirees-charged-with-disability-fraud.html

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The Times' investigations: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/l/long_island_rail_road/index.html

[may3rd]

1. they got sidetracked

and have been railroaded stealing from big rail