July 27, 2001 – A long-time postal worker on St. Croix has been sentenced in U.S. District Court to 15 months in prison and then two years of supervised release for fraudulently collecting disability compensation.
District Court Chief Judge Raymond Finch sentenced James Albert Latimer, 56, on his conviction of fraud under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act. Latimer also was ordered to pay restitution of $81,898.94 to the federal Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, which administers programs implementing FECA for federal civilian personnel.
Latimer, of Estate Whim, had been a mail carrier since 1969. He was convicted on Aug. 30, 1999, following a four-day trial. He received the disability payments after claiming to have injured his back in 1996 when attempting to pick up a heavy package.
The prosecution said Latimer was able to work and had concealed his true medical condition from his physician, who was filing Workers' Compensation reports. As evidence, he was videotaped performing "various physical activities that were inconsistent with the medical condition he presented to his doctor," according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
U.S. Attorney David L. Atkinson commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for its work in investigating the case.
