attorney who was convicted for fake disabled claims

by Valerie Terry Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 6 min read

What does it mean to be accused of disability fraud?

The embattled attorney allegedly filed more than 300 Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuits through the Southern Districts of New York and Florida seeking injunctive relief …

Can you go to jail for making false statements on disability?

Nov 19, 2019 · “Stuart Finkelstein, a practicing attorney, appeared to be advocating on his clients’ behalf by allegedly filing lawsuits claiming they were …

Is there such a thing as VA disability fraud?

Sep 08, 2016 · Paulsen was convicted of stealing more than $1.6 million from the VA and the Social Security Administration this January. He was ordered to pay back the $1.6 million in addition to a fine, and was sentenced to 41 months behind bars. But Paulsen said he wasn’t pretending to be disabled. ABC News

Is it considered disability fraud if you are not married?

Oct 23, 2018 · Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that Pecka filed a claim for VA Disability Benefits in 2011 claiming that he had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from witnessing the suicide of two fellow soldiers while deployed to Kuwait in 2004-2005 with the Army Reserve. ... As a result of this claim, Pecka ...

How much did Attorney Conn defraud from the federal gov?

It will tell the story of Eastern Kentucky lawyer Eric Conn, who pleaded guilty in a $550 million Social Security fraud scheme in 2017. Conn was once one of the top disability lawyers in the nation.Mar 18, 2022

How much did eric c Conn steal?

Convicted felon Eric C. Conn certainly lived up to his name. The small-town Kentucky attorney, who described himself as a “wealthy and flamboyant lawyer,” defrauded the U.S. government of more than half a billion dollars in the biggest scam ever perpetrated against the Social Security Administration.May 9, 2022

How did Eric Conn make his money?

Conn opened his office in 1993 after service in the U.S. Army and ultimately began specializing in representing people seeking disability payments. From 2005 to 2015 Conn's firm received $23 million in fees from Social Security, an FBI agent testified in April 2016. Conn was no stranger to controversy.May 6, 2022

Who is eric Conn?

Conn, who lived in Pikeville and had an office in Floyd County, was once one of the most successful Social Security disability lawyers in the country, winning benefits for thousands of people before admitting in 2017 that he had put fake evidence in claims and paid a Social Security judge more than $600,000 in ...May 6, 2022

What are some misconceptions about disability?

Here are some of the misconceptions: 1 "He’ll get caught & karma will catch up to him." 2 "It is very hard to fake a disability and get compensation for it." 3 "They do checks for malingering at the C&P exams, etc."

Was Richard Meleski a POW?

Richard Meleski told the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and Social Security Administration (SSA) that he was a decorated Navy SEAL who had rescued marines in Beirut, Lebanon—for which he received a Silver Star —and, not only that, but by golly he had been a prisoner of war ( POW) too! 1

Faking PTSD and VA Disability Fraud

If our suspicions about PTSD fakers were confirmed, it would be depressing.

PTSD Malingering

I’d like to introduce my second source, Dr. Christopher Frueh (pronounced “Free”). Dr. Frueh was a VA psychologist for fifteen years, from 1991 to 2006.

So how do we fix PTSD VA disability fraud?

I’m a Soldier. As a Soldier, I’ve been taught not just to identify a problem, but to propose a solution. So I asked John, Dr. Frueh, and Mr. Burkett for solutions to PTSD VA disability fraud.

What is disability fraud?

Of these, the disability fraud that Social Security applicants are most often found guilty of are making false statements and concealing information that can affect eligibility.

What is the role of the Social Security Administration?

Part of the role of the Social Security Administration (SSA) is to weed out claims of those who are not truly disabled in order to help those who are truly disabled. Some applicants for Social Security disability are genuinely ill or impaired but just don't meet the SSA's stringent requirements for disability, but others commit fraud by claiming ...