US Postal Service Worker Steals $100K In Disability Benefits

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A former U.S. Postal Service Worker plead guilty to stealing over $100,000 in federal disability benefits even though she was participating in dog-agility competitions.

Over the course of almost three-and-a-half years, Lisa Ann Schafer from Glenwood told her doctor she had a medical condition which required her to rest most of the day. She claimed she could only do sedentary work. Her doctor then limited her to no more than two hours of office work a day, which allowed her to collect benefits due to her alleged work-related injury.

However, while she was collecting those benefits, she was seen participating in dozens of dog-agility competitions. During the competitions she ran, bent over, and used her arms to guide the dog through a variety of exercises.

According to her plea and the documents filed in court, she claimed Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) benefits between September 18, 2015 and May 3, 2019.

In total, Schafer stole a total of $108,490.47. She was charged with theft of government funds.