A Rotorua man has been sentenced to nine months' community service and ordered to pay $26,127 in reparation after he failed to tell ACC he was working while receiving weekly compensation.
Peter Richard Bell, 48, appeared in the Tauranga District Court yesterday and was charged with five counts of dishonestlyusing a document, one count of obtaining by deception and one count of misleading ACC.
In May 1998, Bell was injured after he fell from a ladder while working as a roofer. He received weekly compensation for around 13 years, but during that time worked periodically as a ponga harvester.
Throughout the period of offending Bell supplied ACC with medical certificates stating that he was unable to work. He also sent declarations to ACC, stating that he was aware of his responsibilities to inform ACC of any employment he undertook, and any income he received.
In 2012, ACC arranged an interview with Bell to discuss his employment. He denied that he had been working, and said that he'd been mistaken with both a relative and a namesake living nearby.
ACC's General Manager of Actuarial and Risk, Herwig Raubal, says it was always disappointing when people chose to abuse the ACC Scheme for financial gain.
"ACC collects levies to help people with genuine injury-related needs. Mr Bell's offending therefore amounts to theft from honest, hard-working New Zealanders.
"ACC has a dedicated Investigations Unit, which follows up all tip-offs received about possible fraud.
