A former employee of the Nassau County Fire Service Academy was indicted for fraudulently receiving more than $16,000 of workers’ compensation benefits.
Chrysta Cataldo continued to volunteer as a firefighter in Massapequa while also being employed as a cleaning person at a local church and working at a tax preparation office, despite allegedly submitting documentation stating that she was not working while she collected the benefits.
On May 6, 2022, Cataldo began working at the Nassau County Fire Service Academy as a ‘Laborer 1.’ On May 11, 2022, Cataldo claimed that she suffered a back injury while working at the academy. The following day, she went out on workers’ compensation leave and began collecting benefits. She continued to receive these benefits through April 2023.
During her workers’ compensation leave, Cataldo continued her employment in several other positions, including a part-time position cleaning at a local church and a seasonal job at a tax preparation office.
Cataldo also continued volunteering as a firefighter with the Massapequa Fire Department. Between the date of her injury through February 2023, she attended over 200 incidents for the fire department.
Employees who receive workers’ compensation benefits are required to undergo independent medical examinations by a third-party doctor to ensure that the beneficiary’s claims are legitimate.
As part of these examinations, beneficiaries can be required to fill out questionnaires regarding their injuries and how they have affected their lives. The questionnaires become part of the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board case file and are used to determine the continuance of benefits. It is illegal to provide false information on these documents.
Cataldo was required on three separate occasions to fill out these questionnaires.
On October 11, 2022, Cataldo was asked on a questionnaire if she had done any volunteer work since the injury and allegedly circled “no,” despite being an active volunteer with the Massapequa Fire Department. The questionnaire also asked if Cataldo was actively working, to which she allegedly circled “no,” despite her part-time employment.
On February 27, 2023, Cataldo filled out another questionnaire which asked if she was working and allegedly circled “no.” Between January and April 2023, the defendant was employed at a small tax preparation firm daily and was working her part-time job at the church.
On July 18, 2023, she filled out a third questionnaire which asked if she was currently working and allegedly again circled “no,” though she was employed part-time at the local church.
Between May 12, 2022, and April 21, 2023, she received $16,861 in workers’ compensation payments.
Cataldo surrendered to Nassau County District Attorney Detective Investigators on July 24, 2024.
Cataldo, 40, of Massapequa, was arraigned on charges of third-degree grand larceny a Class D felony; penalties for fraudulent practices of the Workers’ Compensation Law, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, and first-degree falsifying business records, all Class E felonies; and second-degree falsifying business records, a Class A misdemeanor. Cataldo pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance. If convicted, Cataldo faces up to 7 years in prison. She is due back in court on August 15.
“This defendant, just days after starting a new position with the Nassau County Fire Service Academy, suffered a back injury that put her out of work and on workers’ compensation. As she collected thousands of dollars in benefits, this defendant allegedly filed false paperwork affirming she was not working while, in fact, she maintained employment at several jobs, including responding to hundreds of incidents as a volunteer firefighter with the Massapequa Fire Department,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “Workers’ compensation supports and protects employees when their injuries or illness keep them from doing their jobs. This important program cannot be abused or exploited at the expense of public institutions and the workers who need these funds most.”