Postal Employee Convicted of Four Counts of Mail Fraud, Eight Counts of Worker’s Compensation Fraud, and Two Counts of Making False Statements to Federal Officers
Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that on Friday, April 30, 2010, Tonia M. Anderson, 54, of Akron, Ohio, was convicted by a federal jury of four counts of mail fraud, eight counts of worker’s compensation fraud, and two counts of making false statements to federal officers. The jury returned a not guilty verdict as to one count of making false statements to federal officers. The guilty verdict was returned after a five day trial before U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan. The charge arose out of Anderson’s employment as a postal distribution clerk with the U.S. Postal Service and worker’s compensation payments Anderson received between August, 2005 and February, 2006.
The case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Teresa L. Dirksen and Phillip J. Tripi. The investigation preceding the indictment was jointly conducted by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
Eastern Area Special Agent in Charge Elizabeth A. Farcht, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, stated: “The majority of U.S. Postal Service employees who collect federal workers’ compensation benefits have legitimate claims due to on the job injuries and are truly unable to perform any work. A small percentage, however, abuse the system and cost the Postal Service millions of dollars in fraudulent claims. This conviction should put those who choose to defraud the system on notice that our Special Agents with the USPS Office of Inspector General will aggressively investigate these cases, and present them to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for criminal prosecution when appropriate. You can also help by contacting the USPS Office of Inspector General at www.uspsoig.gov or 888-644-8398 if you know a postal employee who is faking an injury or defrauding the Postal Service.”
Sentencing for the defendant is scheduled for August 10, 2010, at 11:30 a.m.