Press Releases
06/03/2024
Newington Man Charged with Workers' Compensation Fraud, Forgery
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Rocky Hill, CT) – A Newington man has been arrested and charged with illegally attempting to collect Workers’ Compensation in the amount of $891.52 while being employed as a Judicial Marshal with the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch.
Conor Helberg, age 35, was arrested on May 29, 2024 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 of Criminal Attempt to Commit Larceny in the Second Degree by Defrauding a Public Community in violation of Connecticut General Statues § 53a-49/53a-123(a)(3), Fraudulent Claim or Receipt of Benefits in violation of Connecticut General Statues § 31-290(c) and five counts of Forgery in the Third Degree in violation of Connecticut General Statues § 53a-140.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, on September 26, 2023, while working as a Judicial Marshal for the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, Helberg was injured while attempting to restrain an inmate in a cell at Geographical Area No. 23, New Haven. Following the incident, he was assigned to work light duty at the New Haven Judicial District courthouse on Church Street and according to state policies, was required to report time spent for medical treatment to a supervisor and to submit a medical note from the provider to his supervisor showing the date and time he was receiving medical treatment for the work-related injury. The State of Connecticut, in coordination with a third-party administrator for the State of Connecticut workers’ compensation claims, will pay an employee their salary if they are working light-duty status and need to attend medical appointments during their shift. Using forged medical notes, the defendant attempted to receive his salary as workers’ compensation benefits for the hours he indicated he was attending medical appointments for his work-related injury.
Helberg surrendered himself on May 29, 2024 at the Rocky Hill Police Department. He was released on a $10,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, Geographical Area No. 14, on June 5, 2024.
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.