Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. Postal Service employee Doreen Allen, age 51, of Temple Hills, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to theft of government property arising from a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $25,000 in worker’s compensation benefits.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Paul L. Bowman of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General;and Special Agent in Charge Robin Blake, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations.
According to her plea agreement, Allen was employed by the United States Postal Service as a city carrier at the Capital Heights, Maryland, Processing and Distribution Facility. On Sept. 27, 2002, Allen filed an injury claim which qualified her for Worker’s Compensation. Allen began receiving benefits in November 2002 from the Office of Worker’s Compensation Programs (OWCP), including reimbursement for travel expenses for medical treatment related to her injury.
Between July 2012 and September 2015, Allen received reimbursement for travel expenses for medical care related to one of her injury claims. This compensation was based on vouchers that Allen submitted for 721 trips to receive medical care. Allen admitted that approximately 27 of those trips were for medical care, while the remaining 694 were unrelated. Allen submitted numerous forms to OWCP falsely certifying that she had driven round trip from her home in Temple Hills to a doctor’s office in Laurel, Maryland for medical treatment related to her injury. As a result, Allen fraudulently received $27,639.10 in travel reimbursements.
Allen faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis scheduled Allen’s sentencing for Sept. 13, 2016, at 9:30 a.m.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General and U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Hollis R. Weisman, who is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
