Belleville Man Indicted for Workers' Compensation Fraud

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Martese O. Temple, Sr., 48, of Belleville, Illinois, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he unlawfully obtained disability benefits from the United States Postal Service.

The indictment alleges that, from September 2009 through July 2014, Temple misrepresented the severity of a foot injury to obtain permanent disability benefits from the U.S. Postal Service. The indictment charges Temple with Theft of Government Funds, Workers’ Compensation Fraud, and Making a False Statement to a Government Agency. The charge of Theft of Government Funds carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, and the charges of Workers’ Compensation Fraud and Making a False Statement to a Government Agency carry maximum penalties of five years in prison. All three counts also carry maximum penalties of a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge and is entitled to a fair trial at which the Government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by agents of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Liam Coonan.