Lake Tahoe man who spent time skiing while drawing disability benefits sentenced for workers' compensation fraud
A 60-year-old South Lake Tahoe man was sentenced to a year in prison Tuesday and ordered to pay $160,000 in restitution for making false statements to obtain workers' compensation benefits, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Mark E. Leung, 60, worked for the United States Postal Service until 1987 when he claimed he sustained a work-related injury. Leung never returned to full-time employment with the Postal Service and began receiving workers’ compensation benefits in 1987, according to the Justice Department.
From September 2007 through November 2012, Leung received approximately $160,000 in benefits from the Department of Labor, which administers the program for the United States Postal Service. To obtain the benefits, Leung submitted an annual certification form and also had his medical providers attest that he could not perform any work due to the pain that limited his mobility and range of movement.
In fact, Leung was not so disabled. Among other things, while claiming he was totally disabled from employment, Leung maintained a yearly ski pass for Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe where he regularly skied for at least 40 days per ski season. Moreover, Leung was as also observed performing arduous physical labor on numerous days, the justice department news release states.
This case was built on an investigation through the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General and the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Todd Pickles prosecuted the case.