Source: Administrative Office of the United States Courts, District of Illinois
A former United States Postal Service employee is facing serious charges after being indicted for workers’ compensation fraud. Graciela Venegas, 66, of Chicago, also known as “Graciela Salgado,” allegedly collected extra benefits by falsely claiming her deceased ex-husband as a dependent. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois, Venegas continued this fraud for over a decade, costing the government upwards of $50,000.
Indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of making a knowingly false statement, Venegas faces a potential maximum sentence of a 20 years in federal prison for each fraud count, and up to an additional five years for the false statement offense. The indictment claims that from 2013 to 2024, Venegas took an 8 and 1/3 percent increase in her monthly pre-injury pay, unjustly pocketing $51,776. She’s slated for an arraignment come January 6, 2026…