So, for all you Blair-watchers out there who have figured how a student can earn a 4.3+ GPA, become a super-volunteer, and write essays for newspapers, all while suffering from a chronic-fatigue-type illness, I have a new question for you:
How does a woman collect almost $200K in disability benefits while giving aerobic performances in beauty pageants?
Denise "Dee" Marie Henderson, 43, was crowned Mrs. Minnesota International in 1999 and competed in the Mrs. U.S. International pageant the same year while receiving the benefits. In both contests she competed in aerobic, evening gown and other events, prosecutors said.
According to the complaint, Henderson falsely claimed she was disabled by a 1995 auto accident that caused headaches and prevented her from sitting for more than 20 minutes, sleeping, reading her daily mail or lifting more than a few pounds. She received Social Security benefits going back to 1996.
So, she can't lift a Victoria's Secret catalogue, nor sit and peruse it for 20 minutes - but she can parade around stage in one of their skimpy bathing suits and high heels, and look good doing it, and even compete in aerobic events (dancing, presumably). Mrs. Henderson is attractive, with four childen, one of them adopted. She even runs a website for her adopted daughter, complete with really cheesy poetry.
Pretty darn active for a woman who can't read her own mail, wouldn't you say? Oh, but she's "innocent until proven guilty," according to the pageant director, despite evidence of her owning two businesses during a time when she claimed she could not work:
When she took the title of Mrs. Minnesota International in March 1999, Denise "Dee" Marie Henderson was either waging a private battle against intense physical pain or defrauding the federal Social Security Disability Insurance Program.
A month before she was crowned, federal officials had granted Henderson's request for disability benefits, awarding them retroactively to June 1996. From then until this month, Henderson received a total of $190,000 in disability payments, according to a federal complaint filed Monday in Minneapolis...
After her reign ended, Henderson became director of three pageants — the Mrs. Iowa International Pageant and Miss Teen International pageants in Iowa and Minnesota. Last year, Henderson and her husband, Kenneth, were named "Rookie Directors of the Year" at the 2002 Mrs. International Pageant.
Federal officials say she also started two businesses: Queen Bears Closet and Crowning Moments. Among other things, the businesses promote the sale of pageant gowns, aerobic wear and nutritional supplements. During this time, Henderson was claiming that she could not work, which is a requirement for Social Security disability, the complaint said.
The Hendersons claim they have many supporting people who will see them through this tough time. But will they see the videotape that insurance companies took of Mrs. Henderson carrying heavy luggage and a 20-minute underwater dive?
I know, I know, this has nothing to do with educational testing. I just find it amusing that someone could claim to be totally disabled, yet own two businesses and be active, as both competitor and organizer, on the very stressful beauty-pageant circuit. Here's a hint, insurance frauds: Don't be so public about the fact that you're lying to the government. Cashing a disability check while still ensconced in a tiara, evening gown, and sash is bound to draw some attention.
Posted by kswygert at August 26, 2003 04:22 PM