Man Accused of Stealing Dead Worker's Benefits Denies Involvement

Tuesday, September 13, 2016 | 0

A Florida man accused of pocketing a dead man's workers' compensation benefits denies involvement, telling WFTV-9 he wouldn't know how to cash checks made out to someone else.

The Florida Division of Insurance Fraud accuses Harry Collins, 48, of Palm Bay, and Tammy Lynn Esquivel, 39, of cashing benefit checks made out to Paul Anders, an injured worker from Melbourne, Florida, who died in January 2015.

The last check was cashed Oct. 9, 2015. A total of $20,000 in benefits were taken.

Collins said he knows Esquivel but did not commit the crime.

"How can I cash checks if it's not in my name?" Collins asked a WFTV-9 reporter after exiting Brevard County jail.

Read the local news station's full story and watch a video clip here.