Postal Carrier Pleads Guilty To Mail and OWCP Fraud

Postal carrier observed working at another business on several occasions. 

 U.S Attorney District of New Hampshire Press Release

October 25, 2007

Arthur Martel, 55, of Hudson, NH, pleaded guilty to a four count Information before Judge Paul Barbadoro in U.S. District Court in Concord, New Hampshire. The Information charges Martel with two counts of Mail Fraud and two counts of making a False Statement to an agency of the United States.

The Information alleges that in 1996, defendant Martel, a former postal carrier in New Hampshire, submitted a U.S. Department of Labor form which caused him thereafter to be compensated for total disability at the rate of 75% of his full-time pay at the U.S. Postal Service.

By receiving disability pay from the Department of Labor, Martel was required to periodically submit a U.S. Department of Labor form [1] disclosing any work outside of his federal employment. The Information alleges that when submitting the aforementioned forms, Martel did not disclose his employment in the catering business. He falsified the filings to receive benefits.

Martel faces a maximum sentence of twenty years, a maximum fine of $1,000,000 and a term of supervised release of up to five years. Sentencing is scheduled for January 29, 2007[2] before Judge Barbadoro.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Irish. 

PostalReporter.com notes:

[1] OWCP form CA 1032 states in part that “The kinds of services which you must report includes such activities as carpentry, mechanical work, painting, contracting, child care, odd jobs, etc. Report activities such as keeping books and records, or managing and/or overseeing a business of any kind, including a family business. Even if your activities were part-time or intermittent, you must report them.”

[2] Actually Martel’s sentencing is secheduled for January 29, 2008.