He collected $25,000 in workers’ comp checks after lying about returning to construction
A Federal Way man is accused of collecting $25,000 from a workers’ compensation claim while continuing to do construction jobs, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.
The 49-year-old is charged with first-degree theft and was to be arraigned Tuesday in Pierce County Superior Court.
Authorities say the man collected more than $25,000 in wage-replacement checks while claiming he was too injured to work.
Charging papers give this account:
The roofer was injured in 2017 when he fell 16 feet from a ladder and broke his collarbone, ribs and a wrist. He also suffered a collapsed lung.
L&I accepted his workers’ comp claim and began paying his medical bills and a portion of his lost wages.
In March, the roofer’s former employer contacted the agency and expressed concern that the man was working for a different construction company while still receiving wage-replacement checks.
Investigators found the roofer had returned to full-time work in June 2018 for a Lakewood contractor and was earning $21 an hour for basic construction work, including roofing, demolition and drywall.
At the same time, the man allegedly told his doctor he wasn’t working and told L&I he was unable to work.
Investigators filmed the man working on the roof of a Tacoma apartment complex in March and confronted him the next month, court records show.
He allegedly admitted to fraudulently collecting workers’ comp payments and said he needed to the money to support his parents and make payments on his truck.
This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 2:25 PM.
