Man collects disability while snorkeling, helping MMA fighters in the ring, feds say
A Utah man collected disability and Medicare benefits for more than a decade, saying he was too hurt to work, all the while holding multiple jobs, snorkeling in Mexico and helping in the ring of an MMA event, federal prosecutors said.
The 49-year-old Herriman man was sentenced Dec. 17 to 18 months behind bars and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to theft of public money, property or records, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah said in a news release.
McClatchy News reached out to the man’s attorney on Dec. 18 and was awaiting a response.
The man applied for Social Security Administration, or SSA, benefits in 2011, when he was 36, saying severe back injuries kept him from working, prosecutors said in a sentencing memo.
“For about thirteen years, (he) collected SSA disability benefits and their companion Medicare benefits, continually claiming that his condition had not improved and that he could not work,” prosecutors said. But, he worked in bail bonds, in security and at a restaurant, “concealing his income and functionality,” according to prosecutors.
The man collected about $561,050 in all, prosecutors said.
He said he ruptured a disc in 2009, and “subsequent falls and life events that exacerbated his back injuries” meant he was unable to work, prosecutors said.
The man reported working one job — a part-time desk position — while collecting benefits, “however, social media and other records indicate that (he) worked several additional jobs,” according to prosecutors. In February 2018, he promoted his bail bond company on Facebook and said he and his wife had been in the business for years, prosecutors said.
A few months before, his Facebook page showed photos of “an active beach vacation” that included snorkeling in Mexico, prosecutors said.
When SSA notified the man in November 2018 that a review determined he was able to work because of improvements to his health, he “immediately” asked for reconsideration and wrote a letter saying his health actually had gotten worse, prosecutors said.
He doubled down in January 2019, writing to officials that “I would love to be able to work and not have to be a burden to my wife and kids,” according to prosecutors.
But, income records show he worked for a security company and process service in 2019, prosecutors said, also pointing to the Facebook post about the bail bond business.
The man didn’t report any of that work, prosecutors said.
In April 2019, the man had a physical exam, and “he walked carefully into the room protecting his back” and reported ongoing pain, prosecutors said. The doctor recommended SSA go back on its decision to stop benefits, and the agency “gave (the man) the benefit of the doubt,” prosecutors said.
Then about a year later, SSA got an anonymous report that the man was receiving benefits while concealing his employment, and officials investigated, prosecutors said.
SSA agents saw the man going to the gym, walking at a normal pace and carrying a bag, according to prosecutors. Additionally, “his social media from this timeframe featured photographs of his trips to Las Vegas and Italy. A Facebook post from March 13, 2021 also showed (him) assisting fighters inside the ring at a mixed martial arts event,” prosecutors said.
Officials also later observed the man working at a restaurant, including clearing tables, sweeping and picking up bar stools, according to prosecutors. Two managers reported that he’d worked there since the restaurant opened in 2020, according to prosecutors.
In an interview with SSA officials, the man admitted to working at the restaurant and in bail enforcement without reporting the income, prosecutors said.
He must pay more than $561,000 in restitution as part of his sentence, prosecutors said.
Herriman is about a 25-mile drive southwest from Salt Lake City.
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Man collects disability while snorkeling, helping MMA fighters in the ring, feds say."
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