(Rocky Hill, CT) - A Massachusetts woman has been arrested and charged with illegally collecting Workers’ Compensation benefits while being employed at a storage facility in Putnam.
Mackenzie Coonan, age 25, of Rutland, Massachusetts, was arrested on April 15, 2026, by Inspectors from the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney on a warrant charging her with Larceny First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-122 (a)(2), Fraudulent Claim or Receipt of Benefits, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 31-290c(a)(1) and Perjury, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-156.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, in March 2024, Coonan reported suffering a head injury while working in the warehouse area of the Staples distribution center in Putnam. Coonan claimed she struck the back of her head on metal shelving while attempting to retrieve a box from a lower shelf. Initially, Coonan was permitted to return to work after three days. Coonan was subsequently placed on Temporary Total Disability (TTD) and then Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) by her treating providers. Coonan began receiving TTD and TPD benefits from the Corvel Corporation. 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. TPD benefits are wage replacement monies for those who qualify under the program. During that period of benefits, the recipient is considered to have limited work capacity and must inform her employer of any improvements in their injuries. They also are required to report any income beyond the benefits provided.
Coonan received Workers’ Compensation wage replacement benefits in the amount of $22,597.96 from August 21, 2024, through July 10, 2025. Documentation showed that while out on Workers’ Compensation, the defendant also was working part-time and full-time hours as a dispensing agent at a marijuana dispensary in Webster, Massachusetts. It is also alleged that the defendant provided false testimony in a deposition hearing conducted by Attorney Christopher Buccini of the law firm Strunk, Dodge, Aiken & Zovas.
Coonan was released on a $10,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Norwich, G.A. No. 21, on April 20, 2026, and in Superior Court in Danielson, G.A. No. 11, on April 22, 2026.
The case will be prosecuted by the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in Rocky Hill. The charges are merely accusations, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.