Credit: Brett Kiger / FlickrAn undercover U.S. federal investigation recently captured a woman redhanded inside of Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.
First reported by the Miami Herald, A U.S. Postal Service worker was recently caught and pleaded guilty to one count of federal employee compensation fraud on January 30. The woman, who claims to have suffered a severe ankle injury while delivering packages, was caught walking around Walt Disney World Resort, according to federal authorities.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the woman lied on several disability claims, saying she hadn’t “worked or had outside employment for extended periods of time.” However, she had received more than $156,000 in disability payments while running a travel agency and visiting Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort.
On September 1, 2020, the woman, 70, submitted a disability compensation claim saying that she had delivered “three very large packages” and had rolled her ankle in the process. She continued to seek disability compensation through October 2023 and hadn’t returned to her USPS job, according to the criminal complaint.
Federal investigators say they surveilled her and witnessed her walking around Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World Resort for nearly three hours “without the aid of any mobility assistance device.” The criminal complaint says the woman walked more than two miles inside the theme park. Over the next few days, she was also spotted by investigators at Disney Springs and Universal Orlando Resort. The investigation took place on a trip in December 2022.
The woman could face up to five years in prison and could be ordered to pay a fine of up to $250,000. Her court date is set for June 12.
In her plea agreement, it was stated that she helped authorities in their prosecution by letting them know she wanted to plead guilty.
No other information has been given at this time.
This isn’t the only time that an offender was caught inside Walt Disney World Resort. As a matter of fact, a crazy story unfolded back in 2022 when a Federal postal inspector, Jeff Andre, was vacationing with his family. He recognized a man at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park who looked familiar, and he soon realized it was Quashon Burton, who was wanted by federal agents for allegedly scamming the government out of COVID-19 relief funds.
After calling in the matter, Burton was arrested at a bus stop just outside of the theme park.