A U.S. Postal Service employee in Illinois has been federally indicted for allegedly fraudulently collecting enhanced workers’ compensation benefits she was not eligible to receive, according to a recent announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

The defendant, Graciela Venegas, 66, began receiving workers’ compensation payments in 2012 after sustaining a job-related injury while working for the Postal Service. At the time, Venegas listed her spouse as a dependent, which qualified her for increased benefit payments. The couple divorced in 2013, and her former spouse died the following year.

Despite those changes, a federal indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleges that Venegas continued to report her former spouse as a dependent after both the divorce and death. Prosecutors claim that between 2013 and 2024, Venegas improperly received enhanced monthly workers’ compensation payments while still employed by the Postal Service. These payments allegedly increased her benefits by an additional 8⅓ percent of her pre-injury monthly wages.

According to the indictment, Venegas unlawfully collected a total of $51,776 in augmented benefits that she allegedly knew she was not entitled to receive.

Venegas, a Chicago resident, is charged with five counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to the U.S. Department of Labor. Each wire fraud charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, while the false statement charge is punishable by up to five years. Her arraignment is scheduled for January 6 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura K. McNally.

In commenting on the case, Special Agent in Charge Bishop noted that the Postal Service paid approximately $1.5 billion in workers’ compensation expenses during fiscal year 2024. While most postal workers receiving benefits have legitimate injury-related claims, Bishop said a small percentage exploit the system, resulting in millions of dollars lost to fraud and enforcement efforts.