Federal employee accused of fraudulently obtaining $50k disability pay while hiking abroad

SALT LAKE CITY — A federal employee from Ogden was indicted on criminal charges and accused of defrauding the government of more than $50,000 in disability payments while she went hiking abroad.

Michelle L. Bouziden, 44, is an assistant special agent in charge for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General.

The recently unsealed indictment says Bouziden suffered a concussion while on the job in March and was ordered by a doctor to "complete physical and mental rest until her symptoms resolved." She was scheduled to return to work in May, but she instead reported in a work capacity evaluation that her concussion symptoms were the "worst ever," court documents said.

Bouziden claimed in filings with the Department of Labor that she was completely unable to engage in "arduous physical activity" or "cognitive reasoning," and was unable to perform work tasks such as sitting, walking, climbing and operating a motor vehicle, the indictment states.

"Yet, Bouziden received disability payments as she simultaneously traveled internationally and actively pursued a high-endurance, athletic lifestyle," the U.S. Attorney's Office of Utah said.

Prosecutors said she continued to obtain disability pay while falsely reporting concussion symptoms and omitting facts about her physical activity abilities. She allegedly submitted documents indicating she was "still too symptomatic to return" to work, just days before she flew to Italy, where she hiked almost 60 miles of the Dolomite mountain range in eight days.

"Bouziden continuously certified she was injured and unable to perform job-required tasks, work long hours, engage in physical exertion, or complete high-level cognitive reasoning. At the same time, Ms. Bouziden was publishing trips and intense hiking adventures on social media," prosecutors said in a motion for detention.

Bouziden is also accused of canceling a mandatory, independent second opinion medical evaluation, claiming it conflicted with a "wellness retreat." She then participated in an "immersive adventure" trip, hiking Quandary Peak Trail in Colorado, according to the indictment.

The evaluation was rescheduled, but she again claimed it conflicted with a "wellness retreat," and she was "not able to go outside at all" because outdoor exposure would exacerbate her severe migraines, court documents said. The second evaluation was scheduled for Aug. 31, when she was hiking the Dolomites on another "immersive adventure" trip, the indictment said.

In total, she is accused of receiving $51,571.73 in disability compensation while participating in approximately 17 mountain climbing expeditions, totaling over 140 miles of terrain and 35,469 feet of elevation, the indictment said.

Bouziden was charged in federal court with wire fraud, false reports for federal workers' compensation benefits, obstruction of federal department and agency proceedings and theft of government funds.

"Our federal law enforcement is filled with hardworking, dedicated employees who sacrifice to keep the people of Utah and this country safe," said Melissa Holyoak, U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah. "Bouziden's alleged fraud not only cheats taxpayers but is an affront to those hardworking federal employees who show up every day to fight fraud."

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