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Press Release

Press Release  Three Individuals Plead Guilty to Illegally Collecting More than $160,000 in Benefits While Working

For immediate release:
3/22/2018
  • Office of Attorney General Maura Healey

Media Contact   for Three Individuals Plead Guilty to Illegally Collecting More than $160,000 in Benefits While Working

Emily Snyder

BostonThree individuals have recently pleaded guilty and been sentenced in connection with collecting unemployment benefits or receiving disability benefits while continuing to work, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today. 

These convictions are the result of investigations referred to the Attorney General’s Office by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s Department of Unemployment Assistance (EOLWD\DUA) and the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB).

Jeffrey Greenwald

Jeffrey Greenwald, 53, of Abington, pleaded guilty to Unemployment Fraud (2 counts) and Larceny Over $250 (1 count) in Boston Municipal Court.

After the plea was entered, Judge Lisa Grant sentenced Greenwald to three years of probation. Greenwald was also ordered to pay $14,375 in restitution.

Investigators found that Greenwald received unemployment benefits from October 2011 until April 2012 while he was working, and fraudulently collected more than $14,000 in unemployment benefits from the DUA during this timeframe.

Robert Kelley

Robert Kelley, 52 of Revere, pleaded guilty in Chelsea District Court to the charges of Larceny over $250 and Presenting a False Insurance Claim (one count each).

After the plea was entered, Judge William Fitzpatrick sentenced Kelley to pay restitution for the amount of $53,670, which Kelley paid in full. Kelley was also sentenced to one year of probation.

Authorities found that between June 2009 and April 2013, Kelley received monthly disability payments from an insurance policy based on a claim from Kelley.

Kelley falsely stated he had not worked anywhere for any type of earnings, but authorities found that he was working for an internet café business, which had been investigated by the AG’s Office. Kelley fraudulently collected approximately $53,000 in disability benefits.

The investigation by the AG’s Office into Kelley’s internet café business revealed that patrons were paying nearly exclusively for the right to gamble. Kelley pleaded guilty to operating an illegal slot parlor in May 2014.

Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner, 43, of Connecticut, pleaded guilty in Suffolk Superior Court to the charges of Unemployment Fraud (two counts), Workers’ Compensation Fraud (one count) and Larceny (two counts).

Judge Robert Tochka sentenced Wagner to two years in the House of Correction, suspended for 3 years, and ordered that he pay over $100,000 in restitution.

Wagner sustained a lower back injury in December 2010 while working as a carpenter, and filed a claim against his employer’s worker’s compensation insurance policy to collect disability benefits. That claim was denied, and Wagner filed a claim with the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA).

While Wagner was collecting unemployment benefits, he filed a second worker’s compensation claim for benefits, which was accepted, and Wagner simultaneously collected unemployment and disability benefits for a full year. Authorities also found that during this timeframe Wagner operated his own construction company and received payments for various construction jobs.

Wagner fraudulently collected approximately $100,000 in unemployment and disability benefits.

AG Healey’s Insurance and Unemployment Fraud Unit works to protect consumers and the integrity of the insurance system by investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against all types of insurers, including the Commonwealth’s unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation systems. 

These cases were prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Edward Beagan, Kristy Lavigne, and Sara Yoffe, all of AG Healey’s White Collar and Public Integrity Division, with assistance from investigators Philip Mantyla and Michelle Silva of AG Healey’s Office, and investigators at EOLWD\DUA and IFB.

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Media Contact   for Three Individuals Plead Guilty to Illegally Collecting More than $160,000 in Benefits While Working

  • Office of the Attorney General 

    Attorney General Maura Healey is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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