Columbus, OH – Former Columbus Destroyers player Kelvin Kinney, of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced April 18 in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas for working while receiving workplace injury benefits. He pleaded guilty and was convicted Feb. 25 of workers’ compensation fraud, a fifth-degree felony.
An investigation began after a cross-match with the Florida Department of Revenue revealed that wages were reported for Kinney during the same time period he received BWC benefits. He was employed as a football player for the Columbus Destroyers when originally injured in 2008. BWC investigators found that Kinney returned to work in the Arena Football League, playing professional football for the Tampa Bay Storm and the Dallas Vigilantes. He fraudulently collected living maintenance, non-working wage loss and temporary total disability benefits from BWC while playing as a defensive lineman for both teams.
Kinney was sentenced to serve 12 months of incarceration, which was suspended for three years of community control. Conditions of his community control include paying $31,359.80 in restitution and investigative costs to BWC and to complete 100 hours of community service. If he fails to comply with the conditions of community control, Kinney will serve 12 months of incarceration.
Source: Ohio BWC