Down on the Alpaca Farm: Mail Carrier Convicted of Workers’ Comp Fraud

Many of us know that post offices all over the country are closing down due to budget cuts. We also know that that is leaving many US postal workers without jobs, and probably low to no income, and that is dreadful. But one Ohio mail carrier decided she wasn’t just going to wait around for a budget cut.  She would take her money problems out of her own hands, and place them directly into the hands of the legal system.  She went out on worker’s comp and decided she would supplement her disability income in the best way she knew how.  Running an alpaca farm.

Well, the alpaca farm didn’t exactly work out as planned for Karen Anderson-Bagshaw.  According to WOIO News, she was convicted back in October of 2011 and sentenced to prison time for committing workers’ comp fraud.

While out on workers comp, she was busted working at her Alpaca Farm mowing the lawn, installing a stone walkway, and carrying bags of feed. She was also filmed while on a 7-day Caribbean cruise as well.

Bagshaw was recently sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, plus 2 years of supervised probation, and a $71,887.50 restitution fine.

Bagshaw is not the only Cleveland-area USPS employee convicted in the past two years on workers compensation fraud charges; she is in fact the third.

Former mail handler Tonia Anderson was convicted back on April 3, 2010 and sentenced on to eight months of house arrest, 40 hours of community service, 4 years of probation, and $14,988 in restitution.

Former truck driver Norman Motko pleaded guilty on July 8, 2010, and was sentenced to five months in prison, 3 years of probation, and a $116,980 restitution fine.

In the last year alone, USPS paid over $1 billion in workers’ compensation related costs.