ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WTIC Radio)_ A Connecticut Department of Correction worker was arrested Wednesday for illegally collecting workers' compensation benefits while running a restaurant on the side.
The State Division of Criminal Justice says Hoai Le, 48, of West Hartford was a state corrections officer when he was injured while running to an emergency in an inmate housing unit in September: 2018.
Le claimed he sustained injuries to his upper and lower back and was placed on temporary total disability. The TTD benefits go to recipients who are considered to have zero work capacity. People on the program must inform the state of improvements to their injuries and must also report any income beyond state benefits.
Investigators allege that, while he was collecting benefits, Le was managing and running Pho Delicious, a Vietnamese food restaurant he owned in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts.
Between October 8, 2018 and June 26, 2019, Le received $47,982.12 in benefits.
The state says it has surveillance videos and documents that prove Le was working.
Le was released on a $35,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, G.A. No. 14, on February 5, 2021.
