VENTURA : Ex-Officer Accused of Disability Fraud
A former Ventura police officer has been indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of fraudulently receiving disability pay while working for a family business.
Linda Kay Richardson, 39, was a special agent for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in Los Angeles from 1985 to 1988 when, the indictment alleged, she falsified statements on a workers compensation claim.
Richardson, who recently moved to Tucson, Ariz., received disability payments while working for Richardson Enterprises, a family owned business, said Asst. U.S. Atty. Jody Tabner Thayer, who will prosecute the case.
During the same period, Richardson occasionally worked for other employers, Thayer said.
According to investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor, Richardson failed to report the employment and continued to receive full disability benefits.
She was a police officer with the Ventura Police Department from 1977 to 1979.
Each count of the indictment carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
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