Janeide Chillis of Irvington, N.J. served as a U.S. Postal Service employee until she claimed to suffer from a slip-and-fall accident at work. Chilis began to receive compensation benefits after having a doctor certify she was disabled from the incident and unable to work. Chillis recently pleaded guilty to defrauding the Office of Workers’ Compensation by falsely claiming benefits for an injury not sustained. (The only fall Chillis experienced is a fall from grace.)
Part of the conditions of receiving workers’ compensation is documenting that you are truly disabled and unable to provide an income for yourself. Chillis had to continue to submit paperwork for years, re-stating that she was still unable to return to work and not receiving payment from outside sources. (Her scheme suffered more than a few tumbles along the way.)
Chillis began filing for benefits from the U.S. Department of Labor in 2006 and has since defrauded the government for a total of $686,588. Part of the money she gained was a result of reimbursements for home health aide services she did not receive. Chillis used this money, along with income from other unidentified sources, to travel to Africa and France among other places, according to federal investigators. (Chillis travelled the world for years on tax-payers dime while claiming to be stuck at home in pain.)
The forms Chillis submitted to receive benefits were filed under penalty of perjury. (Chilis finally got caught in her web of lies.) These violations contributed to her being charged with one count of making false statements and one count of committing fraud to obtain federal workers’ compensation. Chillis recently pleaded guilty to both charges, which carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Chillis could also owe a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss derived from the offense.
Today’s Fraud of the Day comes from a blog, “ “Totally Disabled” Jersey Postal Worker Traveled the World, Arrested for Insurance Fraud,” published by Shore News Network on May 5, 2020.
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, woman today admitted defrauding the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers Compensation, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Janeide Chillis, 53, of Irvington, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by teleconference before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to an information charging her with one count of making false statements and committing fraud to obtain federal workers’ compensation.
