Many employees convicted of workers' compensation fraud are caught openly working for another employer while collecting benefits, making it easy for investigators to catch on to the overlap. However, one police officer tried to beat the system by selling memorabilia out of his home during the collection of disability benefits.
Richard Rufo, a 49-year-old cop who worked for the U.S. Treasury at the Philadelphia Mint, was arrested August 11 for taking $173,000 in federal workers' compensation benefits while reeling in hundreds of thousands of dollars on the side through a memorabilia business.
In September of 2008, Rufo claimed he injured his back while closing a gate at the mint. He said he was unable to work, and also declined a light-duty job that he said would also be too strenuous.
However, Rufo was not too injured to run United Safety Supply Co. out of his Mount Laurel, Penn. home. The business consisted of selling law enforcement badges, pins, patches, coins, T-shirts, and hats, and monitored telephone calls revealed that Rufo received two shipments of goods each day at one point, as he was taking care of a long list of federal clients.
From September of 2008 through November of 2010, Rufo collected more than $1.1 million in gross receipts, netting about $318,000 from the company. Rufo faces up to five years in prison and a fine if convicted.
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