Press Releases
09/26/2023
Woodbridge Woman Charged With Workers' Compensation Fraud, Larceny and Perjury
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Rocky Hill, CT) - The Office of the Chief State’s Attorney today announced that a Woodbridge woman has been charged with illegally collecting Workers’ Compensation benefits in the amount of $16,053.30 during her employment as a school teacher with the city of New Haven.
Pamela Reichbart, age 59, of Woodbridge, was arrested by Inspectors from the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney and charged with one count of Fraudulent Claim or Receipt of Benefits in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 31-290(c), one count of Larceny in the First Degree, Defrauding a Public Community in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-122(a)(4) and one count of Perjury in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-156.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, on October 3, 2019, while working as a special education teacher, Reichbart sustained a head injury and was placed on temporary total disability. On this date, she began receiving wage replacement and medical benefits paid through Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency (CIRMA), the third-party administrator for the city of New Haven’s workers’ compensation program. During the period of disability, the recipient is considered to have zero work capacity and must inform her employer of any medical improvement, and to report any other employment income beyond the benefits provided.
While receiving TTD benefits, Reichbart failed to disclose between the months of August through December 2020 that she had any medical improvement, or that she was engaged in work-related activities at Giordano Monuments. Reichbart never disclosed these facts to her medical provider or CIRMA, and denied she was engaged in any work-related activities while collecting benefits during a deposition under oath by the law offices of Strunk, Dodge, Aiken & Zovas.
Reichbart surrendered herself today at the Rocky Hill Police Department. She was released on a $10,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Superior Court, G.A. No. 23, New Haven, on October 4, 2023. The charges against Reichbart are merely accusations and she is presumed innocent unless and until she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case will be prosecuted by the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney.