An athlete was actually taken off the course by the police here this morning!
One of the competitors in the race was arrested for insurance fraud, we’re told – he was off work on “disability”, which didn’t really fly when they found out he was competing in an Ironman!
Oops …
so Record10Carbon is not posting here anymore or they have internet in prison?
Nah, it musta been Dev Paul - NOW we know how he had so much “free time” to be able to train 20-25 hrs a week. 
PS - Dev was outta the water in 1:03-ish. Nice. (Only way I’d ever be out that quick would be in a kayak…)
Looks like another perfect day in LP again this year. Good luck everybody!!!
Can you imagine entering T1 to find out your next leg of the race will be spent in the backseat of a police cruiser! OUCH!
Should have grabbed him one foot from the finish line.
Im wondering who tipped off the investigation, disgruntled ex? co-worker?
Talk about having a bad day. Well, screw him if he was beating workers comp. Remember - we pay for that…
I hid…
But, since when is that an arrestable offence? He must be a person from NY for that to happen.
I should have had his entry
Its fraud, fraud is a crime.
Sure, but INSURANCE fraud would not be something that is going to get police to fly across the country and arrest someone on a weekend. More often than not they wait for the person to show up in court (if it is work comp), or will go to their house. So, like I said - I bet this person lives in NY.
Hell, a buddy of mine had his office manager Jimmy Getter steal over $120k from him in about a year…she never spent a single night in jail - and was convicted of felony fraud. No justice.
An athlete was actually taken off the course by the police here this morning!
One of the competitors in the race was arrested for insurance fraud, we’re told – he was off work on “disability”, which didn’t really fly when they found out he was competing in an Ironman!
Oops …
Well, this will be interesting. Disabilities that prevent people from doing their job do not necessarily prevent them from competing in an IM. The police rarely understand these nuances. But, then insurance fraud does occur so who knows. Seems hardly worth pulling someone off the course with an arrest though. Would be better to document that he could actually complete the event, rather than just the swim.
Now if there was suspicion he had a bomb in his special needs bag, that would be something different.
Well said Frank. Maybe the disability was a problem like depression and doing the ironman was really good therapy!
Well said Frank. Maybe the disability was a problem like depression and doing the ironman was really good therapy!
The people who really don’t understand these nuances are the insurance companies, and they really don’t want to understand these nuances or care. They will do anything to avoid paying benefits, even to the deserving. Lying and misrepresenting facts are simply doing business for them. They are your best friend as long as you are paying them, and your worst enemy if they are paying you.
^ Come on. So you can’t go to work b/c you are depressed, but you run an IronMan?
Please.
^ Come on. So you can’t go to work b/c you are depressed, but you run an IronMan?
Please.
Unless you know what the job is and what the medical condition is it is unfair of you to be so glib and casual about this. (You don’t know the facts of this case do you?). Perhaps the person has post traumatic stress disorder (bank teller who was nxt to someone killed in a robbery perhaps) and is fine physically and metally as long as not in the environment that causes the stress. Or the job requires them to lift 200 lbs on occasion or twist and turn (fireman?) but the back injury is not so severe that they can’t run or ride a bike.
^ Come on. So you can’t go to work b/c you are depressed, but you run an IronMan?
Please.
Amen. I shouldn’t have to pay higher taxes and/or higher prices for whatever this person’s company sells just so they can stay home due to depression.
There is always that possibility Frank, and if that is the case its tragic. If I know the obsession however that most athletes have when it comes to ironman, im guessing its fraud
Being that I am a law clerk for a firm that does workers’ comp defense, I can pretty accurately say that there are VERY few circumstances where someone getting disability payments would be able to train for and complete an Ironman without committing fraud. I deal with cases of fraud all day. There are few things like getting surveillance video of a guy mowing his lawn with a push mower and he testifies that he can’t stand without crutches.
If you can train for an Ironman, you can work.
If you can train for an Ironman, you can work.
Of course there is fraud. But, sorry, it depends on the job. Lots of jobs have requirements that go beyond the physical requirements of an IM. Yours is the simplistic view, the view the insurance companies prefer.
I got this sneaky feeling that if he was not commiting fraud he would not be arrested. I mean if he is a mental noodle then is he really going to be arrested for doing a triathlon?
What if’s are fine but reality is better. He was taking money that was not his.