Rocky Hill, CT – A West Hartford man was recently arrested and charged with illegally collecting Workers’ Compensation benefits while being employed as a state corrections officer.
Hoai Le of West Hartford, was arrested by Inspectors from the Workers Compensation Fraud Control Bureau in the Office of the Chief
State’s Attorney on a warrant charging him with one count of Fraudulent Claim or Receipt of Benefits, one count of Larceny in The First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community and one count of Perjury.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, in September of 2018, while working for the state Department of Correction, Le was injured while running to an emergency in an inmate housing unit. Le claimed he sustained injuries to his upper and lower back.
Le was placed on Temporary Total Disability (TTD) by the Department of Administrative Services through Gallagher-Bassett, the third-party administrator of the state’s workers’ compensation program. TTD benefits are wage replacement monies for those who qualify under the program. During that period of benefits, the recipient is considered to have zero work capacity and must inform the state of any improvements in their injuries. They also are required to report any income beyond the benefits provided by state.
From October 8, 2018 through June 26, 2019, Le received workers’ compensation benefits in the amount of $47,982.12. During that period of tim, he was managing and was owner of Pho Delicious, a Vietnamese food restaurant in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Le never disclosed these facts to the state and denied he was working while collecting benefits during a deposition under oath by the Office of the Attorney General. Surveillance videos and document examination ran counter to Le’s claims.
Le was released on a $35,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, G.A. No. 14, on February 5, 2021.
The case will be prosecuted by the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Bureau of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in Rocky Hill.
The charges against Le are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: CT CSAO