An employee formerly employed by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation department has been arrested. The charges stem from his statements that he did not work while receiving compensation benefits for a work injury. However an investigation revealed that employee was submitting false information.
Cosmo A. Zingaropoli was discovered to have earned more than $70,000 in workers compensation benefits from New York City while he was also being paid for repair work and home improvements he did at private homes. Instead of recovering from his work injury, he continued to work and remained physically active.
Zingaropoli, a 38-year old Staten Island resident, has been charged with second degree grand larceny as well as three counts of first degree offer a false instrument in the first degree, and third level insurance fraud. He has also been charged with one count of workers compensation fraud and one count of petit larceny.
The defendant was injured on the job in April 2006 during his work with the Parks Department. He received benefits from workers compensation between August 2006 and March 2010. He did not reveal that he was paid for performing home improvement work between the years of 2006 and late 2009.
Zingaropoli was employed with the city as a DPR maintenance worker starting in March 1995. He was terminated from his position in May 2010 because he did not confirm he was unemployed due to a disability.
