CAMDEN, N.J. — A Department of Veterans Affairs firefighter admitted in federal court to defrauding the government of nearly half a million dollars in workers’ compensation benefits, authorities said.
Richard Hyland, 61, of Westbury, New York, pleaded guilty to one count of workers’ compensation fraud before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced.
Hyland, who worked at the Lyons VA Medical Center in New Jersey, began receiving benefits after a back injury in 2014. He falsely certified to the U.S. Department of Labor each year that he was not working or volunteering elsewhere, according to court documents.
However, investigators found that from March 2017 to December 2024, Hyland worked as both a tow truck driver and a long-haul truck driver while also volunteering at a fire department. In total, he fraudulently collected $479,341.26 in benefits, authorities said.
Workers’ compensation fraud carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for July 11, 2025.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of the Inspector General. Prosecutors are handling the case through the Special Prosecutions Division in Camden.