Accusation Of Stealing $33K+ In Disability Funds

CRAWFORD, NY — An Orange County man was accused of stealing more than $33,000 worth of workers' compensation funds. Orange County Sheriff Carl E. DuBois said Tuesday that Robert Marra, 56, of Crawford, was charged April 30 with penal law offense of third-degree grand larceny and the Workers' Compensation law offense of penalties for fraudulent practices, felonies.

The arrest came as a result of a collaborative investigation by members of the state Department of Financial Services, the Orange County District Attorney's Office and the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

The investigation found that Marra, who is deemed to be fully disabled, falsely reported the extent of his injuries to doctors and independent medical examiners, police said.

He has since participated in about 12 Spartan-style races that are considered to be strenuous activities, authorities said. Some of the activities included spear throw, wall jumps, rope climb, inverted wall and rolling mud.

In addition to those activities, police said Marra participated in a strenuous Ibex hunt in Spain that requires good physical conditioning due to the difficulty of the terrain.

As a result of the false claim of disability, Marra received $33,700 in benefits from the state Workers' Compensation fund to which he was not entitled.

He was arraigned in the Newburgh Town Court and released on his own recognizance pending a future court appearance in the Town of Crawford Court.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said that Workers' Compensation is for people in need, due to injuries on the job.

"It's not meant to be an extra source of income fo those who aren't injured, or for those who have recovered from their injuries," he said.

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