Noteboom The Law Firm

Former Principal Charged with Disability Fraud

Educators are supposed to set good examples for children, but one retired principal did just the opposite when he illegally accepted Social Security disability

payments. Like many others accused of defrauding the Social Security Administration, he neglected to mention his substantial income while he received monthly checks.

According to jdnews.com, the 58-year-old North Carolina man was struck by a Marine Corps ambulance while driving in 2000. As a result, he sued the federal government two years later, and then retired. A year after that, he began receiving disability payments because he claimed he was too injured to continue working, and soon filed a civil lawsuit against the government, as well.

Attorneys involved in the case noticed that he was working for his family's construction company, which definitely seemed to be turning a profit. Of course, had he mentioned his job, his disability payments would have been reduced, if not stopped altogether. The assistance is clearly meant for those who cannot work at all, yet he seemed to have no problem working for years.

Not surprisingly, he was then sentenced to a year in prison, and ordered to pay back over $130,000. He will also experience three years of being supervised after he gets out of prison. His punishment should not be surprising, as it is in line with others who recently defrauded the SSA.

Cases like this one should showcase the need for providing accurate information on forms when applying for disability payments. Even if you forget to let the SSA know some detail that could affect your application, you could be in far worse trouble than getting denied. For this reason, it is crucial that you have a lawyer on your side to ensure that you let the SSA know anything that could be pertinent to your case. Staying in contact with your lawyer is often the best way to avoid a denial, prison time, and general embarrassment surrounding a purported fraud case.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida disability lawyers, LaVan & Neidenberg, represent over 5000 disability claimants. Our disability attorneys have experience with cross examining agency-appointed medical and vocational experts and take time when speaking with you about your disability claim. Call us today at 1-888-234-5758 for a FREE legal consultation. There is NO OBLIGATION to hire our firm and there are NO FEES unless one of our trained disability lawyers wins your case.