NY Bodybuilder Arrested for Alleged Disability Fraud After Wife Shared Pictures of Him Lifting Weights

A New York resident was arrested for allegedly obtaining disability benefits by fraud once his wife shared photos of him lifting weights on her Instagram, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Thursday.

In the press release, James announced “the arrest of Anthony Ragusa, 50, of Huntington, NY, for fraudulently collecting more than $200,000 in disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA)”:

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) charged that, from 2013 to 2020, Ragusa falsely represented to the New York state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) that he was unable to work and perform daily activities as a result of injuries caused by a 2013 fall. While collecting disability benefits, and purportedly disabled, Ragusa was still the president and owner of White Star Limousine — where he continued to earn income — and an avid weightlifter, as displayed in numerous social media photos and videos showing him lifting heavy weights on the internet.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, James said, “Disability benefits are for those who need a safety net, not greedy fraud.”

According to James, fraudulently collecting the benefits “was not only a shameful slap in the face to those who actually live with disabilities, but a vast waste of taxpayer dollars.”

The press release continued:

According to the OAG’s filings and statements made by prosecutors, Ragusa applied for disability benefits in 2013. On the application for benefits, Ragusa represented that his injuries from a fall as an electrician were so severe that he had difficulty bending over to put on shoes, walking for more than 15 minutes, and sitting for more than 30 minutes. Ragusa also stated that the pain from his injuries prevented him from working in any capacity.

Investigators reviewed documents obtained from the state Department of Transportation and minutes taken at a town hearing from 2012 showing that at the time of his fall, Ragusa was president and owner of White Star Limousine in New Hyde Park.

“Additionally, extensive video and photographic evidence from Ragusa’s wife’s Instagram account show that, beginning in 2017, Ragusa began a physical transformation into a bodybuilder,” the release said.

Ragusa’s arraignment took place Thursday and he was charged with second-degree larceny and offering a false instrument for filing, according to WFLA.