A former air traffic controller was convicted by a federal jury on Jan. 13 of mail fraud and false statement charges after working while accepting disability benefits.
Raymond Elmo Deskins III, 52, of Potomac Falls, failed to disclose work activities in the construction industry to the Department of Labor Office, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Deskins had received nearly $700,000 in federal workers’ compensation benefits.
U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the jury’s verdict.
Deskins will face up to 20 years in prison on each of nine counts of mail fraud and a maximum of five years on each of three false statements counts. He will be sentenced on May 4.
The former air traffic controller was indicted on Aug. 25 in connection with the collection of federal workers’ compensation benefits.
Deskins, who worked at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center in Leesburg, had been collecting money from the compensation program since 2004.
From 2005 through 2008, Deskins worked as a construction foreman for a Sterling-based general contractor. During his employment, he was receiving disability benefits from the government based on his alleged inability to perform any work of any kind.
In order to keep the monthly benefits checks in the mail, Deskins falsely certified to the Department of Labor on an annual basis. He said during this period that he had not worked over this time period, court documents state.
Someone tell me why this idiot on this story is trying to make this a republician issue. Did he get paid for working part time? why is a person called a snitch or a rat when the person being turnned in is in reaility the rat. Is this a case of mafia/gangster perversion of the language? Kinda like newt How dare you start a debate this way answer how dare you run forpresident after lying to a couple wives the public. Speaking of quiters didn’t newt quit after being reelected just like Palin?
oh lord
@just saying, I don’t think your friend is being totally honest with you. True that if he was being “medicated” due to trauma of 9/11 then he can’t work the screens. But the government will take all steps to put the person to work while he would’ve still enjoyed his previous salary with all differentials included. They want people to work instead of sitting at home collecting $$. He turned down jobs saying he couldn’t even answer phones but yet he can go out and do construction? What’s wrong with that picture. This is a scam tried by a few and some are caught like your friend. He was wrong plain and simple by going out and helping his “friends” he proved he was able to work and should not have been receiving disability.
A controller can become “disabled” from a traumatic event..ie plane crash, 9/11, close call. When this happens and the person is truly loopy then they can get a disability BUT the government will take every effort to keep the person employed even if it is answering phones somewhere. He turned down employment elsewhere saying he couldn’t do it. Well if he is so traumatized that he can’t do that why was he working somewhere else in the public sector? I don’t care if he wasn’t getting paid or not he went to work. When he did that he proved that he was able to work and should’ve taken steps to return to government work. There are controllers (I work as one) who take advantage of the system and claim trauma knowing it is a free ticket to free time off or better yet a disability. Plain and simple he wanted his cake and eat it too. Scammers like him ruin the program for those who truly need assistance.
George
If he was unable to be on screens than why didn’t he find employment somewhere else?
There are plenty of jobs out there where you can take medication and still be productive.
Check out the colley crime history,Drugs theft the entire family are crooks.Hey laureen,Nice $38,000 dollar face lift.You look just like your girlfriend.Poor Tom!is he still on disability like you.
Thank you for the previous comment. I read through many of the comments and the “Colleys”... what do they have to do with this? And furthermore, who cares. This man collected nearly 1 million dollars on our “working class” dime! Our consciences have been seared! Take his benefits, voting privileges, and look further in to this case…. what lies beneath?
thank you for the all-caps diatribe.
JUSTICE HAS BEEN SERVED!!!! HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU THINK HE WILL GET? LIARS AND CHEATERS NEVER NEVER NEVER COME OUT AHEAD!!! EVENTUALLY THEIR FATE WILL BE REVEALED! WE HAVE ALL CHEATED AT TIMES IN OUR LIVES…. IN SOME CAPACITY, HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY ALL OF THE LIES AND DECEIT? YOU CAN’T! SOUNDS AS THOUGH SOME OF THE COMMENTS ARE BLAMING PEOPLE TURNING HIM OVER. IF THAT HAPPENED, THANK YOU! MY TAX DOLLARS THANK YOU! I AM SO SICK OF THE HANDOUTS IN THIS COUNTRY!
He was not collecting Social Security. He was collecting Workman’s Comp benefits from a work-related injury or illness. Federal workman’s comp is payed through appropriations, aka taxes collected. So while it was not social security, it was money he was stealing from you and me.
@ dont throw stones
OOps sorry about that. I’ve changed my name. :)
Lorraine did the books - not Rays wife - I am almost positive of that - If I recall she did some underhanded things with Sams Club with the business - and your right people in glass houses should not cast the first stone - Ray only did wrong if they have 100%proof and with Lorraines documents (I am sure that is what they are going off of) they are most def doctored its what she does best - oh and dont call people scum in BR there are some wonderful people in the Farms unlike other communities of course with the exception of the Colley/Clooney clan
Judging from the sketchy comments on why Ray is innocent, I’d say there are a few people on here who are too close to the whole thing. Let’s stick to the facts (Ma’am): If he was NOT paid, don’t you think the investigators would have uncovered that ? They obviously have proof that he was paid, OR THIS WOULD BE A NON-ISSUE ! You cannot convict someone on hearsay alone - you MUST HAVE PROOF ! They must have had proof, or he would have walked. Quit being in denial, he did the crime, he’ll do the time.
@happycamper, and hopefully, from the sound of it, you may already know them. You may call them friend now, I only hope that is true. The thought of that puts a smile on my face. Just go ahead and twiddle your thumbs and wait for your turn…
He didn’t get $700,000 just as a substitute for his loss of pay. Workman’s Comp pays the medical bills caused by a work-related injury.
Where the checks? where’s the employment record saying he was employed by the contractor? If the contractor knew he was on disability and still paid him shouldn’t they be prosecuted as well? Gotta love the gov.
Thank you for names.
WOW. Was there any tax reporting on this employee or any record of employment? There would be legal and tax responsibilities to report and withhold them from an employees payroll, disabled or not. It appears this is totally a witch hunt by LC and TC. Perhaps the IRS should be involved in this?
F@Lies - okay set it straight then - tell us EVERYTHING. Are you saying the Federal Prosecutor trumped up the charge that he falsified his income to the DOL 5 times !? I’m pretty sure in order to convict someone, you have to have evidence and proof beyond a reasonable doubt. So, how do you explain this apparent error by the prosecutor, judge and jury ? I thought so…
Sorry, but he stole from you and he stole from me. And he stole from my kids, which makes me the maddest. I’m not buying that he was a victim. And neither did the jury.
Its easy to pass judgement when you only hear the lies posted by LC the white trash that she is. Under the advisement of his doctors he went to these job sites with his friend to keep busy, he never received any pay from this so called contractor. Because of his disability he is required to take medicine that does not allow him to perform his job as an air traffic controller. As for the the information posted in this article, it is grossly exaggerated and I am shocked this paper allows this type of exaggerated lies to be printed.
@ sick world,
How do you know she DIDN’T report him previously.
You assume to much and are just as ignorant as nonya
@ happycamper
I’m wondering why it took so long for this LC person to tell!? My guess is that it was someone who knew about it for a long time…they had a falling out…and she turned him in! HOw is she any better?
She didn’t turn him in because he was breaking the law…she turned him him because she wanted to get even.
This article only scratches the surface of how unethical this guy and his wife really are.
@ nonya, you’re an absolute idiot. Somehow you seem to be able to justify this mans actions because someone ‘snitched’ on him and turned his butt in? Get a friggin’ life!
Last I read, Deskin’s was the one that was convicted of 9 counts of mail fraud and 3 counts of false statements….not this LC person.
Thank GOD this LC person blew the whistle on this creep!
@Help…
The more the Gov’t spends, the more opportunities for fraud. The more the Gov’t taxes, the less productivity.
The more the Gov’t taxes and spends, the less Freedom we have.
Didn’t say nothing about not helping those in need.
I think the article should have been titled, “Government Union Worker Steals $700K from the Tax Payer”.
What the heck is wrong with people?
Why wouldn’t just stay home and collect you 100K a year!!! What a greedy SOB. Dishonest and stupid! What a combination.
Also for the vindictive white trash- if she knew about this and received any ill gotten gains than she should be charged as well. You shouldn’t be able to know about a crime for years and years and then get mad a a person and turn him in. She is no better than he is.
Enjoy prison…
More Gov’t, Plz
So are saying because of dishonest people that the really needy should be punished?
Also, aren’t most Air traffic controllers ex military, if so, then he would probably vote R and therefore would be a big hypocrite!
Reminds me of an old neighbor of mine who was on disability with the post office but was healthy enough to cut grass every day in the summer for his landscaping company. In the meantime, he took home equity loans on his house, stopped making payments on his mortgage and his new home equity loans and lived in his house (paying nothing) for about a year before he was evicted. This is what we get with government run businesses and union involvement.
Why not hire 1000 or so people to just look into all the cheaters on disability, Real Estate/Mtg loans made from 2006-2009 that were approved, and all politicians(we all know how corrupt they are). Being a small business owner, I’ve had at least 6 guys answer my ad to work, only to hear they were making 10K-20K more because they were paid under the table. Just wondering which agency do I report that abuse to????
Does workers’ comp really pay $100k a year? No wonder why there are so many “disabled” people in America.
had he simply claimed what he was making, he wouldn’t be facing incarceration today. doesn’t seem worth it. it’s only money.
He gets $100,000 a year in workers comp or disability for seven years and he’s only checked on an annual basis???? How’s that happen? Sounds like not enough government to me. Give him some government now in terms of jail time.
How exactly do you “work FOR a union” ? Uncle Sam was the one paying him, not any union. Typical Republican gibberish. And yes, he’s got what he deserves. I’m wondering what took them so long ?
Direct result of Big Gov’t handouts. I bet for every one they catch, there are nine more.
@Help Poor.., Don’t care if he’s D or R, theft is theft. But given he probably worked for a gov’t union, could probably bet he’s a D.
whoa whoa whoa…..not only the jail time, but we’ll take back our tax dollars that paid his salary for 2005 - 2008. Also bet he was working other jobs over the last few years as well.
It is only cheating IF you get caught. I’m sure he’s not alone. I’ve cheated in the past, although not to this extreme.
Did someone turn him in? It doesn’t say how he was caught.
I’ll bet he votes Republican. They yell “no handouts and are the first to take….
I hear Gov Perry is double dipping….
And they think he is the only one? How about all the woman that file for assitance as “single” moms…but guess what daddy lives right their with them bringing unclaimed money home and they keep on getting assitance…Thats nice.
Throw the book at him. I hate cheaters.
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