Cops and firefighters involved in Social Security scam

How sad . . .

I've always liked firefighters, too.

New York cops among 106 accused over 9/11 fraud

New York (AFP) - Former New York police officers and firefighters were among 106 people indicted Tuesday over a "massive fraud" worth hundreds of millions of dollars, some in connection with the September 11 attacks.

The accused allegedly collected tens of thousands of dollars a year in Social Security disability benefits -- funded by taxpayers -- by claiming they were completely incapacitated by serious psychiatric disorders and other ailments.

But, according to court documents, they were in fact living normal lives -- one of the accused flew a helicopter, while another played blackjack in Las Vegas.

One of the accused taught and performed mixed martial arts but was still claiming benefits of typically between $30,000 and $50,000 a year. In some instances, the total amount fraudulently obtained was nearly $500,000 per applicant.

Of those indicted in the decades-long scam, 80 were retired New York police officers or firefighters.