9 May 2013

Greymouth man works three jobs while collecting weekly compensation

Anthony Carrick Duncan, aged 44 years, of Runanga, Greymouth, has been convicted for defrauding ACC after he worked in three successive jobs while receiving weekly compensation for supposedly being unfit for work.

Notes on a medical file – where a specialist recorded Mr Duncan as attributing an injury sustained after he began receiving compensation to work-related causes - alerted ACC to the possibility that Mr Duncan was misleading ACC about his situation.

Subsequent inquiries by ACC Investigators uncovered the full extent of Mr Duncan’s deception.

In the Greymouth District Court on Tuesday, May 7, he was sentenced by Judge Saunders to 4 months’ community detention, 200 hours' community work, and he was also ordered to pay full reparation to ACC of $22,295.09.

Mr Duncan was convicted of eleven charges in total, including three charges of misleading ACC by wilful omission, three charges of failure to advise of earnings, and five charges of dishonestly using a document.

Mr Duncan originally began receiving weekly compensation in May 2005, after he injured his back and shoulder when falling through a roof. He continued to receive compensation payments up to April 2012.

It was eventually established that during this period, he worked for three different employers, as a pond operator, labourer and dairy farm worker.

While he was working, he continued to send declarations to ACC stating that he was unfit for work, and there had been no change in his circumstances.

ACC’s General Manager of Claims Management, Sid Miller, says ACC has an Investigation Unit which follows up all information that suggests possible fraudulent activity, and takes appropriate action when criminal offending is identified.

“At the end of the day, Kiwis pay ACC levies to help people with genuine injury-related needs – not so that people can misuse ACC for their own personal gain.”

ENDS

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