Italian authorities have arrested a man who allegedly earned his full salary despite skipping work for the last 15 years. The unidentified man, who was dubbed the "King of Absentees" by the media, worked as a civil servant at the Pugliese Ciaccio hospital but stopped showing up to work in 2005.
Despite not going to work, the suspect earned $647,000 in total compensation over those years. The 67-year-old is facing charges of abuse of office, forgery, and aggravated extortion. He was also accused of threatening the former director of the hospital so she would not report his constant absenteeism. When she retired, nobody else at the hospital noticed that suspect wasn't showing up, despite the fact that he continued to get paid.
According to The Guardian, the arrest came out of a larger investigation, codenamed Part-Time, to crack down on the rising reports of public sector fraud. Six managers at the hospital are also under investigation for fraud and abuse.
Several other people have been busted as part of the probe. In one case, 35 workers were caught entering fraudulent hours over the course of two years. In another instance, authorities discovered that employees were clocking in and then leaving to canoeing and shopping.
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