Upstate New York Teacher Accused of Bilking Workers’ Comp

A reading teacher at a central New York elementary school is accused of bilking the state out of nearly $53,000 in workers’ compensation benefits.

The state Insurance Department says 57-year-old Mary Racich of Utica fraudulently collected $52,983 in workers’ comp benefits while working as a teacher for the Utica City School District.

According to investigators, Racich collected the money between October 2004 and December 2007 after she claimed she was unable to work because of an allergic reaction she suffered when employed as a teacher at the Marcy Correctional Facility in 1997.

Racich was arrested last week. She’s scheduled to be arraigned on June 25 for insurance fraud and offering a false instrument for filing.