A Connecticut State Police Trooper has pleaded guilty to illegally collecting workers’ compensation benefits.
Kevin Moore, 45, pleaded guilty last week in Hartford Superior Court to two counts of Larceny in the Fourth Degree.
Moore was initially arrested by Inspectors from the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney on a warrant charging him with one count of Fraudulent Claim or Receipt of Benefits and one count of Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, in July of 2019, Moore sustained an injury to his back in the performance of his duty.
He was subsequently placed in a Temporary Total Disability (TTD) status by his treating health care provider. TTD is a wage replacement benefit paid by the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier while the claimant is unable to perform any type of work due to a work-related injury or illness.
In this case, the State of Connecticut as the employer is self-insured and the workers’ compensation claim was managed by Gallagher Bassett.
Between November of 2019 to February of 2020, surveillance was conducted on Moore to determine if he was exceeding the physical limitations set forth by his health care provider. The investigation revealed that in addition to incidents where he was observed exceeding those limitations, Moore also was operating his silk-screen printing business, Four82 Designs. Moore continued to conduct business while out on leave. He failed to disclose his activities or report earnings to Gallagher Bassett while receiving workers’ compensation benefits for his job as a State Trooper.
Gallagher Bassett determined that in the period from November 2019 to May of 2020, Moore received approximately $47,000 to which he was not entitled. The defendant has agreed to pay full restitution prior to sentencing, which is scheduled for March 4, 2025 in Hartford Superior Court.
The Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit located within the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney is prosecuting the case.