Hudson Valley Man Caught Kickboxing While on Workers' Comp

Update: Charges against the man were subsequently dropped, court documentation shows. This article has been updated to remove identifying information about the individual in light of the dropped charges.

A Hudson Valley man allegedly stole nearly $10,000 in disability payments.

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A Middletown man was charged with grand larceny and the workers' compensation crime of fraudulent practices, felonies, the Times-Union reports.

The investigation by Workers' Compensation Fraud Inspector General Leahy Scott found that the Orange County FedEx worker reported a debilitating shoulder injury in April 2015 from tripping over a pallet while working. Following the injury, he stopped working and started collecting workers' compensation benefits, officials say.

In November 2017, the man was allegedly seen boxing, kicking, and performing jumping jacks and gymnastic squats while working out in a Middletown martial arts school and gym.

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In February 2018, a doctor who treated the man testified during a New York State Workers' Compensation Board hearing that the man was “not disabled at all” and “far from disabled” after seeing the video of the man at the martial arts gym, officials say.

“Feigning complete disability as he is caught kickboxing on film, this defendant's greed led to a deliberate abuse of a benefits program meant to assist honest and hard-working New Yorkers,” Workers' Compensation Fraud Inspector General Leahy Scott said in a statement according to the Times-Union.

Between the time that the man allegedly worked out at the gym, he received over 9,000 in workers' compensation benefits to which he was not entitled, officials, say.

Hudson Valley Man Caught Kickboxing While on Workers’ Comp