Workers’ Comp Fraud Leads to Jail Time for Hatchery Owner

The owner of an upstate New York fish hatchery has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for worker’s comp fraud, the New York State Insurance Department said.

Edward Panus, was also ordered to repay $4,500 in benefits to the New York State Insurance Fund.

He was convicted on three counts workers’ compensation fraud in June. Panus had falsely claimed that he was not working, although he ran a fish hatchery in Afton. He started collecting workers’ comp benefits after suffering a back injury while moving sheet rock in 1988.