Bowling requires finesse. If a ball is not released at the appropriate angle and speed, it could spiral off to the side and into the gutter, leaving the bowler embarrassed and without any points. You could say that a man who tried to scam the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) threw a gutter ball when he lied about an on-the-job injury.
The man in today ‘s “Fraud of the Day” article was injured while serving as an emergency medical technician and was granted workers’ compensation benefits. (You could say the angle of his approach to receiving compensation changed shortly after approval. He thought he could continue to receive government benefits while also earning a salary as a high school bowling coach.)
The Ohio BWC caught up with the moonlighter after the Special Investigations Department used a database to cross match with the state’s Department of Job and Family Services. They found that the man was earning wages from his coaching position at the same time he was also collecting temporary total disability benefits. (That ‘s a big no-no.)
The 43-year-old man pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud and was sentenced to 90 days in jail unless he paid $1,587, the cost of the agency ‘s investigation, within 90 days. Prior to his sentencing, the BWC collected restitution in the amount of $14,697. (Smart move.)
Perhaps this fraudster thought he could throw a spare and win the fraud game by earning extra money as a coach and not reporting it to his state ‘s workers’ compensation agency. (It looks like the government threw a strike and won the game.)
Source: Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “Foul! Bowling coach crosses the line, commits work comp fraud,” posted by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation on February 24, 2017.
A Marion man who was injured on the job as an emergency medical technician in 2010 pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud Tuesday after investigators discovered him working as a high school bowling coach.
After Jason Neagles, 43, pleaded guilty to the first-degree misdemeanor charge, a Franklin County judge ordered him to pay the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) $1,587 for the cost of the agency’s investigation. He warned Neagles to pay BWC within 90 days or face 90 days in jail.
