Gary Barber, a 75-year-old resident of Weirton, West Virginia, has been sentenced to three years of probation for theft involving public money. The sentence was handed down in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Court documents reveal that Barber's father, a coal miner, received Black Lung benefits. After his father's death, these benefits were transferred to Barber's mother. As her health declined, Barber became the payee for these benefits. However, after his mother's passing, he continued to claim the funds under false pretenses for nearly a decade. This resulted in the fraudulent collection of $85,604 from the US Trust Fund.
Barber has been ordered to repay the full amount of $85,604 as restitution.
Syreeta Scott, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Mid-Atlantic Region at the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General stated: "Gary Barber engaged in a scheme to embezzle more than $85,000 in Black Lung benefits administered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP). Barber stole money intended for injured coal miners and their survivors who were eligible for those vital resources. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and OWCP to protect the integrity of DOL benefit programs."
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Conklin on behalf of the government following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided over the case.
