ROME MAN ACCUSED OF FRAUD FOR COLLECTING BENEFITS

A 58-year-old Rome man discovered working after he claimed a job-related injury prevented him from doing so was arrested Thursday on charges that he fraudulently collected $17,940 in workers’ compensation benefits.

William A. Cingranelli, of 1023 W. Thomas St., was charged with insurance fraud, workers’ compensation fraud and offering a false instrument for filing. He was arrested by the Onondaga County Sheriff’s office after an investigation by Anthony J. Sobon of the New York State Insurance Department’s Frauds Bureau.

Cingranelli began receiving benefits after claiming he suffered a back and arm injury in 1990 while working as an aide at the New York State Rome Developmental Center. Cingranelli later submitted documentation stating that he had not been employed since his injury.

However, a joint investigation by the Frauds Bureau, the New York State Insurance Fund and the Inspector General’s Office of the Workers’ Compensation Board found that Cingranelli was working as the manager of a billiard room and restaurant business owned by his wife and daughter.

If he is convicted, Cingranelli could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison. He was released pending a hearing in Onondaga County Court. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Patrick Quinn.