(Rocky Hill, CT) – A Danielson man has been arrested and charged with illegally collecting workers’ compensation benefits in the amount of $18,017.82 while being employed at PepsiCo's Frito-Lay Killingly facility.
Michael Bishop, age 44, of Danielson, was arrested on March 4, 2025 by Inspectors from the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney on a warrant charging him with one count each of Larceny in the Second Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statues § 53a-123(a)(1), and Fraudulent Claim or Receipt of Benefits in violation of Connecticut General Statues § 31-290c(a)(1).
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the defendant reported getting injured on October 17, 2022, while working as a long-haul truck driver for PepsiCo's Frito-Lay Killingly facility. The defendant claimed he injured his left neck and shoulder area while lifting and holding large boxes of potato chips over his head. Following the incident, medical professionals determined he suffered a cervical spine injury and released the defendant to work modified duty and fewer hours each workday. The defendant exhausted the 90-day allotment of light-duty work restrictions set forth by his employer and he was subsequently placed in a Temporary Total Disability (TTD) status by his health care provider until he could be released to full duty work capacity by a physician. TTD is a wage replacement benefit paid by the employer's workers' compensation insurance carrier while the claimant is unable to perform any type of work due to a work-related injury or illness.
In September 2023, Sedgwick Claims Management Services, managing the insurance claim, initiated surveillance on the defendant during activities outside of his employment, a common practice utilized by insurance companies to assist in deciding whether a claimant is exceeding the physical restrictions or limitations set forth by a treating physician. While the defendant was receiving workers’ compensation benefits for his claimed injury, surveillance revealed that the defendant was engaged in activities such as operating an ATV, lifting an object onto a dolly and loading heavy equipment onto a truck, that were inconsistent with the physical limitations reported to his healthcare provider. The defendant was cleared to return to work at PepsiCo's Frito-Lay Killingly facility in January 2024. He was terminated from his job on February 29, 2024.
Bishop surrendered himself on March 4, 2025 at the Rocky Hill Police Department. He was released on a $10,000 non-surety bond. His next scheduled court date in Superior Court in Danielson, Geographical Area No. 11, is April 22, 2025.
The case will be prosecuted by the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in Rocky Hill. The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.