TUMWATER, WA - A 51-year-old Kent man who raced BMX-style bicycles throughout the Northwest and Nevada while claiming he was too disabled to work has been charged with 1st-Degree Theft. The Washington State Attorney Generals Office accuses Tony T. Perry, Sr. of misrepresenting his physical abilities to the Department of Labor & Industries to receive more than $14,000 in wage-replacement payments from January 2012 to August 2013. He is scheduled to appear on the felony charge in Thurston County Superior Court tomorrow. From Washington State Department of Labor and Industries: Perry started racing BMX bicycles as an amateur in January 2012, eventually competing throughout the Pacific Northwest and Nevada, according to the results of an L&I investigation. BMX racing is an off-road, physically demanding bicycle competition typically held on dirt race courses with hills requiring riders to jump in the air. The case investigator witnessed Perry compete in two races, and found numerous Facebook posts about Perry’s racing activities, charging papers said. In a post about a May 2012 race, Perry described how he crashed and injured his ribs − but told L&I he hurt himself at home that day due to a fall caused by his injured knee. In an interview with L&I in September 2013, Perry admitted racing, but said it was no different than riding a bike on a neighborhood street, charging papers said. After receiving a summary of L&I’s investigative findings in March 2014, Perry’s physician told an L&I investigator he would have ended Perry’s wage-replacement payments as of January 2012 had he known about his physical abilities. Perry began receiving workers’ compensation benefits in October 2001, when he strained himself lifting a heavy box, causing knee and other injuries, while working in grounds maintenance. The charge against Perry resulted from an L&I investigation that started with an anonymous tip. L&I pursues all tips of suspected fraud. Report tips at Fraud.Lni.wa.gov or call 1-888-811-5974.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 03:00:00 +0000
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