A Guilford firefighter who was seen setting up equipment and performing with a band after an on-the-job injury supposedly left him unable to work was arrested today and charged with Workers’ Compensation Fraud.

MICHAEL HUDD, age 55, of 64 Pomona Avenue, Milford, by Inspectors from the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney and charged with one count of Fraudulent Claim or Receipt of Benefits.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Hudd reported being injured on March 25, 2016, while working for the Town of Guilford as a firefighter. He received more than $21,000 in Workers’ Compensation benefits based on his claim of having no work capacity of any kind and not earning any money outside of the disability payment, the warrant states.

On four separate occasions while collecting disability benefits Hudd was observed playing drums for a local band called the Rum Runners and also lifting, moving and setting up the band’s equipment, the warrant states.

Hudd was released on a written promise to appear in New Haven Superior Court, G.A. No. 23, on July 19, 2017. The charge is merely an accusation and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case will be prosecuted by the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in Rocky Hill.