Letter carrier charged with worker's compensation fraud

A letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service has been charged with defrauding the Department of Labor, law enforcement officials said.

Douglas A. Joachim, 51, of Wadsworth, concealed and falsified his medical condition and physical abilities to the Labor Department’s worker’s compensation program. He is employed as a letter carrier and, on numerous occasions, was receiving disability payments through the worker’s compensation program. He willingly made false, fictitious and fraudulent statements about his medical condition, which resulted in these benefits being paid, according to the information.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry F. DeBaggis following an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendants’ prior criminal records, if any, the defendants’ roles in the offenses and the characteristics of the violations.  In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

A charge is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.