"Price is Right" appearance exposes postal worker's fraud

GREENVILLE, N.C. A former postal carrier was caught lying about the severity of an injury she suffered while working after an appearance on "The Price is Right," reports CBS Raleigh affiliate WRAL-TV.

The employee, Cathy Wrench Cashwell, from Fayetteville, N.C., had previously claimed a shoulder injury that occurred while working in 2004 left her unable to lift mail trays into trucks.

However, in September 2009, she was seen spinning the big wheel two times while appearing on the CBS game show.

A September 2012 indictment filed against her worker's compensation claim that was obtained by WRAL-TV states that Cashwell first "raised her left arm above her head and gripped the handle with her left hand."

When she got to spin the wheel again, she "raised both arms above her head and gripped the same handle with both hands," according to the indictment.

The indictment also mentions Cashwell ziplining with her husband during a vacation in August 2010 and carrying heavy items such as grocery bags and furniture on multiple occasions in 2011.

Investigators accused Cashwell of lying about the extent of her injuries in the indictment.

She allegedly claimed as recently as 2011 that her injuries hindered her ability to bend, reach, grasp, sit or engage in other activities.

Cashwell pleaded guilty to fraud in federal court on Monday and will be facing sentencing in September.

A private investigator, Allison Blackman, told WRAL-TV that fraudulent worker's compensation claims are common.

"There's a lot of people out there not hurt who are drawing worker's comp," Blackman told WRAL-TV. "I've seen every kind of case you can see ... Sometimes you have to get in the woods and bushes. The secret is you've got to have your camera up, when they do what they're doing."