Oneida Inmate Charged With Workers’ Compensation Fraud

A Syracuse man already serving a prison sentence on an unrelated charge was arrested Friday for workers’ compensation fraud, New York State Insurance Department Acting Superintendent Eric R. Dinallo announced.

Ellis Barner, 42, of 145 Rose Ave., Syracuse, was transported from the Oneida Correctional Facility and arrested in Syracuse prior to an arraignment before Onondaga County Supreme Court Judge Joseph Fahey. The case stems from a fraud investigation led by Thomas Hurley of the Insurance Department’s Insurance Frauds Bureau.

"Those who commit workers’ compensation fraud are stealing benefits intended for truly deserving people and driving up the cost of doing business in New York," Superintendent Dinallo said.

Barner allegedly fraudulently collected $4,018 in workers’ compensation benefits from the New York State Insurance Fund. He stated on Insurance Fund forms that he was not incarcerated nor convicted of a crime while he was, in fact, serving a two-to-four year prison sentence for a felony drug conviction. Checks mailed to Barner’s home address were cashed by a family member who gave the money to him or redirected payments at his request. Read more at ins.state.ny.us.