Md. Man Pleads Guilty in Disability Payment Fraud

GREENBELT, Md. - A former federal government employee has pleaded guilty to making a false statement that led him to fraudulently obtain $636,410 in federal disability payments over the past 26 years.

Maryland resident John Hanson agreed Wednesday to pay $400,123 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein says Hanson was approved for permanent disability payments at age 31.

Hanson worked as a printer for the Defense Logistics Agency, and reported an on-the-job back injury in 1978. He filed government paperwork from at least 1983 to 2009 in which he said he was not working, although he refurbished vehicles and performed home remodeling and construction work for pay.

He is scheduled for sentencing in December and faces up to five years in prison.