Mineola Postal Secretary Charged with Disability Fraud

Written by Geoffrey Walter

A U.S. Post Office secretary who may have worked at the post office’s Melville processing and distribution center is facing charges that she fraudulently collected more than $50,000 in disability payments since March 2012.

According to a complaint from the U.S. District Attorney's Office, Zdena Hock, 65, of Mineola claimed that she sustained an injury to her back and neck while filing paperwork in January 2012 and was no longer able to carry out routine tasks. The complaint indicates that Hock took six days to file the claim and the post office could not verify whether she had been injured or not, which resulted in the investigation.

The complaint states that Hock was seen from June 2012 and the present "engaged in physical activities, including social events shopping and exercise" as well as carrying groceries and waling distances "in excess of a quarter mile."

She was required to take routine medical examinations every four to six weeks and at each exam, claimed that her pain was ongoing. At a Dec. 11, 2012 case review, Hock claimed her pain was still "strong and severe" and that her life consisted of "almost no activity," despite an agent observing her in a bathing suit at a pool several times per week, "swimming laps (and) walking up stairs without assistance."

The complaint did not indicate at which post office Hock was employed. A Newsday report indicated that she worked as a secretary in the human resources office of the Mid-Island Processing and Distribution Center in Melville.

Hock was released on $75,000 bail from the U.S. District Court in Central Islip. She faces up to 20 years if convicted. She was not required to enter a plea.