Connecticut Corrections Officer Charged With Workers' Comp Fraud

West Hartford, CT — A West Hartford man is accused of illegally collecting Workers’ Compensation benefits while being employed as a state corrections officer, Connecticut Department of Criminal Justice officials said.

Hoai Le, 49, 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 first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and one count of perjury, according to DCJ officials.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit in the case, in September 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, the warrant indicates.

Le was placed on Temporary Total Disability status by the Department of Administrative Services through Gallagher-Bassett, the third-party administrator of the state’s workers’ compensation program, according to the warrant. 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 along with disclosing any income beyond the benefits provided by state, DCJ officials said.

From Oct. 8, 2018 through June 26, 2019, Le received workers’ compensation benefits in the amount of $47,982.12, according to the warrant. During that period of time, he was managing and was owner of Pho Delicious, a Vietnamese food restaurant in East Longmeadow, MA, according to case records.

Le never disclosed the situation to the state and denied he was working while collecting benefits during a deposition under oath by the Office of the Attorney General, according to the warrant.

Surveillance videos and document examination ran counter to Le’s claims, officials said in the warrant.

Le was released on a $35,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, on Feb. 5.

The case will be prosecuted by the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Bureau of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in Rocky Hill.