Red Hook Man Charged As A Fraud

New York, NY (CompNewsNetwork) - NYSIF paid a 60-year-old Red Hook man workers' compensation payments after he swore he could hardly get out of the house and couldn't walk after a work-related injury in 1992. But former Poughkeepsie Housing Authority employee Philip Silvernail allegedly still managed to carry and paint on a ladder, replace window shutters, install awnings and stair rails, and operate a backhoe, investigators said.

Mr. Silvernail was arrested by the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and transported to the Village of Red Hook Town Justice Court on June 7. He was arraigned before Town Justice Jonah Triebwasser and released on his own recognizance, scheduled to reappear on June 24.

He faces up to seven years in state prison after being charged with felony insurance fraud and fraudulent practices in violation of the New York State Workers' Compensation Law.

The Workers' Compensation Board awarded Mr. Silvernail a total disability payment after he reported a back injury on his job at the Housing Authority in January 1992. Investigators said he allegedly defrauded NYSIF of more than $20,546. Investigators estimated the potential future savings on his claim had the alleged fraud not been detected to be $220,600.

NYSIF Division of Confidential Investigations conducted the investigation in cooperation with Dutchess County Assistant District Attorney Anthony Parisi's Office, the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and the New York State Insurance Department Frauds Bureau.

Criminal complaints and indictments are accusations only. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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