United States v. Patrice Daliberti Hurn

TJOFLAT, Circuit Judge:

I

The defendant, Patrice Hurn, was an employee of the United States Postal Ser vice who painted as a hobby. She had a website advertising her painting services. On December 4, 2000, she submitted a claim for disability due to carpal tunnel syndrome that she alleged was caused by her job. Although her claim was initially accepted, in May, 2001, postal inspectors opened an investigation to examine the possibility that she had committed workers’ compensation fraud. In August, the Postal Service offered her a new job to accommodate her disability, but she sent them a letter…