January 18, 2012 - Raymond Elmo Deskins, III, 52, of Potomac Falls, Virginia, a former air traffic controller who has received nearly $700,000 in federal workers’ compensation benefits, was convicted on Friday afternoon by a federal jury on mail fraud and false statements charges for his failure to disclose work activities in the construction industry to the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. 

On January 13, 2012, The Jury returned to the courtroom with a verdict of guilty on all 12 counts. The verdict was accepted by United States District Judge Liam O’Grady. Deskins faces a maximum penalty of 20 years on each mail fraud count and a maximum of five years on each false statements count when he is sentenced on May 4, 2012. 

Deskins was indicted on Aug. 25, 2011, on nine counts of mail fraud and three counts of making false statements in connection with the receipt of federal workers’ compensation benefits.

According to court records and evidence at trial, Deskins, formerly an air traffic control specialist at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center in Leesburg, has received nearly $700,000 in benefits from the federal workers’ compensation program since 2004. From 2005 through 2008, while receiving disability benefits based on his inability to perform any work of any kind, Deskins worked as a construction foreman for a Sterling-based general contractor. 

Back on June 17, 2004, the Deskins submitted a notice of traumatic injury to the OWCP claiming FECA benefits in connection with an injury sustained during the course of his employment. On August 9, 2004, the OWCP accepted the Deskins' claim. Since that time Deskins had received total disability benefits under FECA in the form of tax free payments equivalent to seventy-five percent (75%) of the salary of a GS-15, step 10 federal employee pay scale. 

During this time period, these benefits have been paid to Deskins by check and had been sent on a monthly basis to Deskins residence. From May 2005 through at least August 2008, Deskins worked in the construction industry, receiving both monetary and in-kind compensation for his work on various residential and commercial construction projects, and was involved in a business enterprise known as All Star Contractor's Alliance, on both a compensated and non-compensated basis.