Independence man found guilty of taking $168,000 in disability while running company
A federal jury has found an Independence man guilty of illegally receiving nearly $170,000 in disability money while he owned and operated a heating and cooling company, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
James E. Workman, 39, was found guilty on three counts of wire fraud, two counts of Social Security fraud and one count of theft of government money, all felonies, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Workman received Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits from mid-2007 through May 2016 as well as auxiliary payments for his children.
Trial evidence indicated that Workman “engaged in a scheme to defraud the government” from 2009 to 2016 by concealing his self-employment as the owner and operator of AV Heating and Cooling, according to the U.S Attorney’s office.
He received $168,456 in disability benefits, which he must forfeit to the government. The jury deliberated for nearly six hours before returning the guilty verdicts, according to the news release.
