Indictment accuses man of defrauding railroad board

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS – The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois announced today that Dennis Harold French, 51, of Caseyville was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he stole unemployment and disability benefits from the United States Railroad Retirement Board.

The indictment alleges that, from May 2009 through June 2012, French fraudulently obtained monies belonging to the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, an agency of the United States, by concealing his employment status in order to receive occupational disability benefits, Stephen R. Wigginton said.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release.