Former Fulton Postal Worker and Husband Face Prison For Fraud

by Contributor | May 2, 2012 7:12 am

A woman who used to deliver mail for the U.S. Postal Service in Fulton is facing a long time in prison after she and her husband admitted to defrauding the government.

Tracey Raponi, 41, and husband Gale Raponi, 56, of Martville admitted in U.S. District Court in Syracuse Monday that they made false statements in order for Tracey to get workers compensation benefits.

The government claims Raponi received $326,467.88 in benefits she should not have received.

Federal prosecutors say Raponi lied when she said she was not working somewhere else while she was getting workers compensation and her husband lied when he backed up her claim.

Instead, they admitted that Raponi was working at her husband’s dog breeding, boarding and training business, Tuff-N-Uff Kennels.

The government says “Tracey Raponi worked for and at Tuff-N-Uff Kennels breeding dogs, exercising dogs, receiving fees for kennel services, registering dogs, vaccinating dogs, administering medications to dogs, transporting dogs to and from veterinary offices, and writing checks for goods and services utilized in the kennel’s business.”

The Raponis will be sentenced September 12. They face up to five years in prison, fines of $250,000, and three years’ supervised release after prison.

Below is a story on the conviction from NewsChannel 9.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/fulton/former-fulton-postal-worker-and-husband-face-prison-for-fraud/

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