NEW YORK (TIP): New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang announced the sentencing of Brian Simpson, 55, of Monroe County, who defrauded the State Workers’ Compensation System of more than $16,000. Simpson, who had previously pled guilty on December 20, 2023, to one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the Second Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor, was sentenced yesterday by the Honorable Thomas J. DiSalvo in Webster Town Court to a term of three years’ probation and ordered to pay full restitution.

“This outrageous abuse undermines the integrity of the Workers’ Compensation System – a critical safety net designed to enable injured workers to provide for themselves and their families,” said Inspector General Lucy Lang. “My office will continue to proactively root out fraud and other abuses of this system to ensure that these crucial funds will remain available for those truly in need.”

The Inspector General’s investigation established that between April 11, 2022, and March 3, 2023, Simpson made multiple misrepresentations to examining physicians and submitted inaccurate paperwork to the New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF) regarding his inability to work during the covered period. More specifically, despite asserting that he was not working since sustaining an alleged workplace injury, the investigation established that Simpson was in fact actively working as a bus driver for First Transit, Inc. while collecting workers’ compensation benefits. As a result of his misrepresentations, Simpson fraudulently obtained benefits in the amount of $16,764.78.

Inspector General Lang thanked the members of her staff responsible for handling this investigation, including Investigator Erynn Migaj, former Investigator Mark LaMonte, Investigative Auditor Kaitlyn Gibbons, and Investigative Counsel Phil Druss, under the supervision of Deputy Inspector General Jeffrey Hagan and Chief Investigator Martin Stanford.

Inspector General Lang also expressed her gratitude to the New York State Insurance Fund for its partnership in the investigation, the New York State Police for assisting with Simpson’s arrest, and Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley and her office for their diligent work prosecuting this matter.