Columbus, OH – A former Campbell (Mahoning County) man who relocated to Florida was sentenced for fraud after he was discovered working while receiving workplace injury benefits, and using multiple aliases to cover his crime.
Nikitas Xipolitas, 61, pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree felony count of workers’ compensation fraud on November 4. A judge in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas sentenced him to six months of jail time, suspended for five years of community control, under the condition that he pay $23,601.48 in restitution the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC).
Investigators with BWC’s Special Investigations Department (SID) began looking into Xipolitas in 2010 after receiving letters from several anonymous sources alleging that Xipolitas was working as a bridge painter for several companies. The letters advised that Xipolitas worked under alias names to avoid detection.
The investigation confirmed that Xipolitas did work on highway bridge painting projects throughout the United States for several companies beginning in July 2010. He worked under four different alias names in attempts to conceal his work activity so that he could continue receiving benefits from BWC.
Source: Ohio BWC SID