New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro today announced the indictment and arrest of Corrine Tracy, a New York State registered nurse, on charges that she defrauded the workers’ compensation system and stole $5,671.40 in wage indemnity benefits to which she was not entitled by claiming that she was not working when, in fact, she was.
Corrine Tracy, 33, of Erskine Place in the Bronx, a registered nurse employed at Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center, was indicted on August 22, 2019 by a Bronx grand jury and yesterday arrested on 15 charges, including Grand Larceny in the third degree, Grand Larceny in the fourth degree, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the third degree, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the fourth degree, Insurance Fraud in the third degree, Insurance Fraud in the fourth degree, Falsifying Business Records in the first degree, Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the first degree, and Workers’ Compensation Law crimes of Fraudulent Practices, all felonies, as well as several misdemeanor charges.
An investigation by the office of the Inspector General found that Tracy began receiving workers’ compensation benefits in 2018, after she claimed an injury while treating a patient at Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center, a facility operated by the New York State Office of Mental Health. The investigation found that from May through August 2018, Tracy worked a total of 30 shifts at Gracie Square Hospital in New York City as a per diem registered nurse while simultaneously receiving wage indemnity benefits and falsely reporting to physicians and the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board that she was not working. Indeed, on August 2, 2018, Tracy completed a claimant’s history form in which she wrote that she was not working and was unable to perform her regular duties at work.
“This defendant used her State employment to greedily enrich herself with benefits to which she was not entitled,” said New York State Inspector General Tagliafierro. “My office and my law enforcement partners will use all the resources at our disposal to pursue anyone who defrauds the critical workers’ compensation system that was created to protect hard-working New Yorkers injured on the job.”
Tracy was arraigned on the charges in Bronx Supreme Court and is scheduled to return to court on December 3, 2019.
Inspector General Tagliafierro thanked the New York State Insurance Fund and the New York State Office of Mental Health for their assistance with the investigation, and Bronx County District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and her office for their assistance with the investigation and arrest, and for prosecuting this matter.
The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.