NC postal worker faked injury, went boogie boarding, ziplining with worker’s comp money
Johnnie Franklin Sullivan Sr. was having the time of his life in his 70s.
The Charlotte postal worker, who lives in Mooresville, posted photos on Facebook of his travel adventures across the U.S. and Europe: Surf- and boogie-boarding on beach vacations, shag dancing at events and ziplining in Niagara Falls, New York.
The problem? Sullivan enjoyed it all with the $100,000 in worker’s comp payments he received after falsely claiming he’d suffered a debilitating on-the-job groin injury in 2005, according to an October 2023 grand jury indictment against him.
A pallet jack pinned him against a steel beam while he processed mail in Charlotte, Sullivan told the government, according to the indictment.
The injury forced him to walk with a cane and curtailed his driving and travels, he claimed. He couldn’t even sit for long without pain, he said.
Sullivan’s world of adventure officially ended Wednesday in a federal courtroom in Statesville, where he pleaded guilty to making a false report in connection with federal compensation benefits and theft of government funds.
“For years, Sullivan Sr. lied about his pain and suffering caused by an on-the-job injury to bilk the federal workers’ compensation program out of thousands of dollars,” U.S. Attorney Dena King said in a statement.
“When individuals defraud an important program meant to protect injured federal workers, my Office will make sure they are held accountable for their actions,” King said.
Sullivan, 73, is free pending a sentencing hearing, which hasn’t been scheduled, according to King’s Charlotte-based office. Sullivan couldn’t be reached by The Charlotte Observer on Thursday. His lawyer, Brad Smith of Charlotte, didn’t immediately return a phone message.
False statements lead to compensation payments
To keep receiving worker’s comp payments, Sullivan had to submit periodic reports about his physical condition and his inability to perform a Postal Service job, court records show.
He made false statements “on multiple occasions” to reap at least $103,261 in payments according to the indictment.
He did so while posting the Facebook photos of “his many long-distance trips and physically rigorous activities,” prosecutors said.
“Most postal employees who collect workers’ compensation benefits have legitimate claims,” said Jeff Krafels, special agent in charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office that oversees the Charlotte region.
“A small percentage, however, abuse the system and cost the Postal Service millions of dollars in fraudulent claims and enforcement costs,” Krafels said in a statement.
