Retired Md. officer accused of fraud, theft to claim workers’ comp

A retired Prince George’s County police officer has been indicted on charges of theft and fraud for falsely claiming he fell down a set of stairs to collect workers’ compensation, prosecutors said Friday.
Former Cpl. Melvin Kenney told his supervisor on May 7 that he had fallen and hurt his shoulder on wet pavement in the parking lot of a police station and reported sick the next day to see the doctor, prosecutors said.

But surveillance video from the parking lot shows it was a clear day “with no wet pavement and Kenney is not seen falling or doing anything that would explain the injury he claimed to have,” according to a statement from the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. Kenney also told his doctor that he had fallen days earlier than he had reported to his supervisor, prosecutors alleged.
Doctors placed him on light duty and he filed a claim for which he received $3,500, prosecutors said.
The Prince George’s County police department said Kenney was assigned to desk duty after the allegations of misconduct emerged before he resigned on Aug. 31. A grand jury indicted him on Thursday, authorities said.

After learning of the alleged fraud and theft, the police department brought the case to prosecutors, according to a statement from Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark A. Magaw.
“When an officer betrays the integrity of the badge, this department takes those allegations seriously,” Magaw said in a statement. “We hold our officers to a high set of standards.”
Kenney faces up to 25 years in prison, according to prosecutors.
A man who identified himself as Melvin Kenney hung up the phone after asked about the allegations when reached Friday.