Former postal worker charged in Brooklyn court with lying to obtain $160K in workers’ comp
A complaint charging Joseph Penatello, a former driver for the U.S. Postal Service and a Brooklyn resident, with falsely claiming injuries to receive more than $160,000 in disability payments was unsealed Friday in federal Eastern District Court in Brooklyn.
“As alleged, the defendant was employed at flea markets at the same time he falsely claimed to be incapable of working for the Postal Service due to a medical condition,” said Richard Donoghue, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “Such disability scams are nothing less than stealing from our taxpayers and will not be ignored.”
“The federal Workers’ Compensation program was created to help those who are recovering from injuries obtained on the job,” stated USPS Inspector General Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Modafferi. “When a Postal Service employee defrauds the Workers’ Compensation program, the special agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General will work tirelessly with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”