Juvenile detention officer charged with illegally collecting workers’ compensation
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ROCKY HILL, CT (WFSB) — An East Haven man was arrested Friday and charged with illegally collecting workers’ compensation benefits while being employed as a juvenile detention officer.
Gregory Brunson, 35, was taken into custody by inspectors from the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Bureau in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney on a warrant charging him with one count of fraudulent claim or receipt of benefits and one count of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, on Jan. 24, 2020, Gallagher Bassett, the third-party administrator of the State of Connecticut’s self-insured workers’ compensation program, sent a referral to the Office of the chief state’s attorney. That referral contained a detailed timeline of Brunson’s claims and medical history.
In Aug. 2019, Brunson, who was assigned to the Bridgeport Juvenile Detention Center, claimed he injured his back in the course of his duties when attempting to restrain a detainee. He was examined by a physician and placed on temporary total disability, which meant he was considered to have zero work capacity and could not earn any outside wages without reporting it.
In a period from Aug. 24, 2019 to Dec. 29, 2019, Brunson received $12,459.25 in benefits and $1,284.31 in medical costs, investigators determined.
While receiving the benefits during that time frame, Brunson failed to disclose coaching an area youth football team that traveled to Florida and entered a playoff. Brunson was observed on multiple occasions both in Connecticut and Florida engaging in physical activities that could not be performed under his supposed status.
Brunson’s case will be prosecuted at Hartford Superior Court. He was released on a $10,000.00 non-surety bond. His next court date is Dec. 29, 2020.
The case will be prosecuted by the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Bureau of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in Rocky Hill.
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