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 White Plains, NY - Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore, New York State Insurance Department Superintendent Eric R. Dinallo and New York State Workers' Compensation Chair Zachary S. Weiss announced that Michael Palmieri, 46, of Yorktown Heights, New York was arraigned on one count of Grand Larceny and one count of Fraudulent Practice, a violation of Workers' Compensation Law.
Between March 1, 2004 and April 8, 2006, the defendant, acted in concert with Leo Coletti, a former New York State Correction Officer who plead guilty in 2006 to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and Filing a False Tax Return, of falsely claiming injury and receiving worker's compensation benefits of approximately $40,170 from The New York State Insurance Fund.
In January 2002 the defendant, a doctor whose offices are located at 108 Van Guilder Avenue, New Rochelle, New York, commenced preparing and presenting false Attending Doctors Reports, (C-4 forms), on behalf of Leo Coletti, a patient the defendant began treating on September 29, 2000 for an injury Coletti incurred on June 8, 2000 while working at Sing Sing Prison.
The C-4s, which were presented to the New York State Insurance Fund by the defendant on behalf of Leo Coletti, were false claiming that Leo Coletti was unable to perform work and was not working, while in fact Coletti had a general contracting and home renovation business in Westchester County and was also doing renovations in the defendant's home and office.
The investigation was conducted by the New York State Insurance Department Frauds Bureau, the New York State Workers' Compensation Board and Investigators from the Westchester County District Attorney's office.
Palmieri's next court appearance is scheduled for June 26th, 2009.
He faces a maximum of seven years in state prison.
Assistant District Attorney Brian Conway, Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau, will prosecute the case.
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