A firefighter with the Department of Veterans Affairs has admitted to committing workers’ compensation fraud, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney John Giordano.
Richard Hyland, aged 61 and a resident of Westbury, New York, pleaded guilty to a charge of workers’ compensation fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1920. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams at the federal court in Camden.
Court documents and statements reveal that Hyland was employed as a firefighter at the Lyons VA Medical Center in Lyons, New Jersey. After sustaining a back injury in 2014, he began receiving workers' compensation benefits. To maintain these benefits, Hyland annually certified to the U.S. Department of Labor that he was not engaged in any work or volunteer activities elsewhere.
These certifications were found to be false. Starting as early as March 2017, Hyland worked as a tow truck driver and also took on roles as a long-haul truck driver while volunteering at his local fire department. Between March 2017 and December 2024, he fraudulently received $479,341.26 in benefits.
The charge carries a potential maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000. Sentencing is set for July 11, 2025.
U.S. Attorney John Giordano acknowledged the investigative efforts of special agents from both the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General and the Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of the Inspector General under Jonathan Mellone and Chris Algieri respectively.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McFarlane from the Special Prosecutions Division in Camden is representing the government in this case.
Defense counsel for Richard Hyland is Zach Intrater from Agnifilo Intrater LLP.