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Hospital Employee Accused Of Failing To Show Up To Work For 15 Years Straight

Mason Joseph Zimmer
Mason Joseph Zimmer
Updated September 8, 2021

No matter how we much we may like our jobs, there are going to be some days when we simply don't feel like doing them.

But whether it's because we think our work is important, we enjoy the company of our coworkers, or we just want to be able to pay rent and eat that month, we shore up all the effort we can muster and clock in anyway.

And while we may normally not feel right about a situation where we find a way to fly under the radar and get paid for doing nothing, we also can't deny how tempting such a scheme will seem on those rough mornings.

However, if we take away nothing else from one Italian man's alleged work dodging marathon, it's that even the most diabolical plans don't keep the consequences at bay forever.

A civil servant working at Pugliese Ciaccio hospital in Catanzaro, Calabria is now under investigation for a fraud case that has set a national record in Italy.

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As The Guardian reported, Italian news outlets have dubbed the 67-year-old man the "king of absentees" following accusations that he has spent the past 15 years receiving full pay despite never actually showing up to work.

Although it's unclear what exactly his job title was, he was assigned to work at the hospital in 2005, which was also the last year he was alleged to have actually worked.

As the investigation continues, the man faces charges for abuse of office, fraud, and aggravated extortion.

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According to the BBC, he will be found to have received the equivalent of $646,267 over the course of those 15 years if these charges hold up in court.

Upon hearing about this staggering period of alleged absenteeism, you may wonder how nobody noticed this was going on for so long.

Yet as far as police have determined, somebody did notice soon after this 15-year streak began.

According to The Guardian, the man is also accused of making threats against the hospital's director in 2005 as a means of stopping her from filing a disciplinary report.

However, after this person retired, both her successor and the hospital's human resources department apparently failed to notice either the man's absence or his continued payment.

Police are also investigating six managers who they suspect of knowing of his alleged scheme.

Police discovered this pattern during a broader investigation of absenteeism and fraud in the Italian public sector codenamed Part Time.

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As The Guardian reported, they based their charges against the "king of absentees" on what they gleaned from attendance and salary records as well as witness testimony from his coworkers.

Although the man's case is particularly extreme, the Italian civil service was found to be rife with similar behavior after a series of similarly high-profile investigations.

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According to The Guardian, one example saw 35 workers at the city hall of Sanremo abuse the city's time management system for over two years.

Some of these staff members were found to have clocked in before leaving to go canoeing and shopping, while others simply had their spouses clock in for them.

These investigations prompted the Italian government to revise fraud laws to include this kind of behavior in 2016.

h/t: The Guardian

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