Former N.Y. Arena Football Star Arrested on Workers’ Compensation Fraud in Calif.

Superintendent of Insurance Gregory V. Serio announced that Chris Perry, a former star on the Buffalo Destroyers arena football team, has been arrested in California on grand theft charges.Perry, who began collecting New York workers’ compensation benefits following a career-ending injury in 1999, allegedly submitted fraudulent documents to collect nearly $15,000 that he was not entitled to receive.

Perry subsequently moved to California and in January, 2002 began to work for the city of South Lake Tahoe’s parks department. The New York State Insurance Department says it was was informed of Perry’s activities, and contacted the authorities in California to have him arrested. Perry was arrested on March 5 and faces a felony charge and up to one year in jail. The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.

The arrest resulted from a joint investigation conducted by the Insurance Department Frauds Bureau, the New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF) Division of Confidential Investigations and the New York Workers’ Compensation Board Fraud Inspector General, working in cooperation with California insurance officials and local law enforcement authorities.