A California correctional officer faces fraud charges after authorities allege he filed a workers' compensation claim falsely claiming a parolee shot him while he was leaving a restaurant. In fact, he was shot in a dispute at a sex club. The individual filed a workers’ comp claim saying a former inmate recognized him and opened fire on leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, according to The Sacramento Bee.
The state was prepared to pay close to $2.5 million in a settlement when it requested a copy of the police report, discovered a different portrayal of the shooting and subsequently launched a criminal probe court records indicated. The suspect and his wife face five felony counts alleging they conspired to commit fraud.
According to the police report, the couple went to a swingers club, where people had the expectation of engaging in sex with strangers. Court documents allege they were having sex with another couple when the man's condom broke, angering the woman's male companion. The unidentified man threatened the individual and later shot him in the back as he and his wife were walking to their car.
The pair told the San Francisco police on scene what happened but the man also said he did not want to tell the officers "about the swingers club and hoped it would not get back to his department," court documents allege. Court records indicate a colleague told investigators the individual said he was shot by a parolee while leaving a San Francisco restaurant. The officer remains classified as an employee because he is taking accumulated leave time. (workersxzcompxzkit)
The State Compensation Insurance Fund issued a report saying it expected to spend approximately $2.5 million to settle the claim, but instead spent $6,500 investigating the fraud allegation.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers' Compensation costs, including airlines, health care, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He can be contacted at: [email protected] or 860-553-6604.
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