A man from Gloucester, Massachusetts recently pleaded guilty to federal charges in Vermont of Social Security and Medicaid fraud while he was part of the reality TV show, Wicked Tuna. The man, identified as Paul Hebert, pleaded guilty for receiving government disability benefits in front of a US District Court in Burlington.
According to the charge filed against the 50-year-old, Hebert received over $44,000 in Social Security and Medicaid disability benefits between the period of 2010 and 2013. The charge against him was filed last summer, to which Hebert pleaded guilty to. When he spoke with his prosecutors, Hebert entered into a plea agreement and agreed to pay over $53,600 in restitution. However, attorneys are recommending that Hebert be placed in probation for four years. The sentencing of the fisherman has been scheduled for May.
Hebert's attorney, Paul Volk, argued that the money he received from his disability benefits was obtained at a time "way before" his client was able to get a job on the TV show. To support this, his indictment showed that the first time Hebert filed for Social Security disability was in the spring of 2009. On his application, Hebert claimed that he was unable to perform any type of job. At the same time, Hebert claimed he was unable of walking properly, lifting heavy weights, or even do a long drive. This led the fisherman's application to be approved, before he started to receive his benefits in October 2010.
Unfortunately, Hebert failed to update give the corresponding government agencies an update on his work status. As required by law, he was supposed to give an update about his work status if ever he was able to obtain employment. This was the mistake that Hebert failed to do, which is why he was charged for fraud.
Since 2012, Hebert has been part of Wicked Tuna, a National Geographic Channel show that entails boats in Gloucester as they try to catch bluefin tuna. According to sources, catching bluefin tuna can be a pretty big income for these fishermen.
