Skier to serve one year in prison for fraud

A Lake Tahoe man enjoyed the slopes of Heavenly Resort for at least 40 days a season, getting regular use of his yearly ski season pass.

Since 1987, Mark E. Leung, 60, has also claimed he could not perform his job for the United States Postal service and had been collecting workers compensation ever since.

On Tuesday, United States District Judge John A. Mendez sentenced Leung to serve a year in prison and pay $160,000 in restitution, according to a news release. The sentence came after the court found that Leung made false statements to obtain workers’ compensation benefits.

According to court documents, Leung worked for the United States Postal Service until 1987 when he claimed he sustained a work-related injury. Leung never returned to full-time employment with the Postal Service and began receiving workers’ compensation benefits in 1987.

From September 2007 through November 2012, Leung received approximately $160,000 in benefits from the Department of Labor, which administers the program for the United States Postal Service, the news releases stated.

To obtain the benefits, Leung submitted an annual certification form and also had his medical providers attest that he could not perform any work due to the pain that limited his mobility and range of movement.

However, an investigation by the United States Postal Service, the Office of Inspector General and the Department of Labor revealed Leung was not so disabled.

While claiming he was totally disabled from employment, Leung maintained his yearly ski pass for Heavenly Ski Resort, where he regularly skied for at least 40 days per ski season, the investigation found. Moreover, Leung was as also observed performing arduous physical labor on numerous days.