A woman in New York has signed her way into criminal charges and some jail time after getting mixed up with forgery and fraud.
According to an investigation, Mindy Berger, 38, filled out forms for an inmate in Ulster County Jail with false information. The inmate had been receiving workers' compensation benefits as a result of a job-related injury, but after being incarcerated, the inmate was no longer eligible to receive those benefits. That's where Berger stepped in.
Berger filled out the inmate's work status reports, denying that he was serving a jail sentence so that they could continue to receive workers' compensation. After Berger forged the inmate's signature, everything was sent in for processing, and a check for $300 in wage replacements was sent out.
On July 26, Mindy Berger pled guilty to possession of a forged instrument. She was ordered to serve five years probation and reimburse the state insurance fund the $300 the inmate received in benefits. Berger was also sentenced to a 30 day jail sentence in Ulster County Jail — the very same facility in which her partner in crime is locked up. It looks like Berger's little signature stunt has ended up costing both her and the taxpayers a whole lot more than the benefits were worth.
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