A man featured on the reality television show “Wicked Tuna” is scheduled to be sentenced in Vermont on charges he received government disability benefits while he was fishing on the show.
Paul Hebert, of Gloucester, Massachusetts, is due in federal court in Burlington on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of Social Security and Medicaid fraud.
As part of a plea deal with prosecutors, Hebert agreed to pay more than $53,600 in restitution.
Attorneys are recommending probation.
Hebert’s attorney has said he filed for the benefits before he got the job on “Wicked Tuna.”
The National Geographic Channel show follows several Gloucester-based boats that try to land bluefin tuna, which can weigh hundreds of pounds and fetch tens of thousands of dollars.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Once news of this guilty plea spreads through the media it may cause several others on disability to leave the program. Some people draw disability and continue to do work on the side. Hopefully this case will get the point across that disability is not intended to be a permanent monthly gift from the government.
I am in favor of every disabled person in the US having their claim rechecked. There are too many stories like this one. Getting a handle on waste/fraud/abuse would decrease the budget by at least one third.
Fraud is out there all over the place. If there is a chance to rook the system people will do it. People have no shame anymore.