Today we bring you another story from our resident intern Reid Boclair.

A federal grand jury in Cleveland returned a two count indictment charging Nicole M. Gates of Wickliffe, with false statements and fraud to obtain federal employees’ compensation. Gates, a mail carrier under the employment of of the U.S. Postal Service, falsely represented her physical limitations in order to commit fraud and receive workers compensation money.

If convicted, a number of other factors play into the determining of the sentence including previous criminal record, the defendant roles in the offense, and many more. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evident of guilt. Gates will have a lawyer and a fair trial, and the outcome of the trial is still up in the air.