If you allegedly try and cheat the system, sooner or later the system gets you, at least in most cases.
Scam Included Filing False Information for Workers Comp
An Arkansas man is facing the possibility of substantial time behind bars for his reported role in a scam that included filing false information for workers comp.
United States Attorney Stephanie Finley announced that Curtis Roller, 56, of Jonesboro, Arkansas, was indicted recently by a federal grand jury for 11 counts of wire fraud after obtaining Federal Emergency Management Agency grants and four counts of making false statements on workers comp forms.
According to the indictment, from Jan. 1, 2002 to Dec. 31, 2010, Roller provided officials with false information on grant applications he sent to FEMA so Louisiana and Arkansas fire departments he wrote grants for were eligible to receive the funds. Roller is accused of inflating population data, agency coverage areas and numbers of responded calls on the FEMA grant applications.
Authorities have also accused Roller of overstating the type of calls responded to, under-reporting the size of budgets and increasing the scope of their needs on the applications.
It is further alleged in the indictment that Roller asked those awarded the FEMA grants to purchase equipment from his two companies, Louisiana Firefighters Services and a vehicle manufacturing company in Smyrna, Ga. It is against FEMA rules and policies for a grant writer to financially benefit from money awarded.
Accused of Not Reporting Income on Workers Comp Form
Also as part of the indictment, Roller was accused of not reporting income on his workers comp form when he filed for benefits from Oct. 29, 2007 to March 28, 2008.
At the time, he was employed at the U.S. Postal Service when he filed his claim. He did not report that he was receiving income from his job as a fire chief of the Ward 4 Fire Protection District in the Jonesboro area.
Author Michael B. Stack, CPA, Director of Operations, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in employer communication systems and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: [email protected].
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Authorities also say Roller obtained income as owner of his fire services and
vehicle manufacturing companies.
Note: An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
