The owner of a trucking company that contracts with the U.S. Postal Service to help distribute mail was charged with pocketing more than $1.9 million by requesting reimbursement for workers’ compensation coverage that he never purchased, Illinois’ top law enforcement official announced.
Keith A. Ratcliff, 53, faces three felony counts of theft, one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. The president and owner of Ratcliff Enterprises Inc., which is headquartered in Wyoming, pleaded not guilty to all charges during an arraignment hearing Tuesday.
Between July 2005 and September 2017, Ratcliff Enterprises entered into 128 contracts with the Postal Service worth more than $27 million to transport mail in western Illinois, according to a statement by state Attorney General Lisa Madigan. USPS reimbursed the company for most expenses, including the cost of buying workers’ compensation coverage.
Ratcliff requested more than $1.9 million in reimbursement for insurance that Madigan says he never purchased.
Ratcliff faces a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted on all charges. He is scheduled to return to court Sept. 28.
This article was first published by WorkCompCentral.
