A Hole Full of Trouble

Criminals almost always mess up at some point during their attempt to defraud their victims. A press release posted by the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation provides a link to a security video showing a Cleveland man faking an injury in order to file a bogus workers compensation claim. (Note to self – check for security cameras before carrying out fraudulent mission.)

The story states that the worker claimed he suffered multiple injuries after falling through the wooden floor of the factory where he worked. Luckily, the employer had video footage of the man removing a sheet of plywood from the floor in his workstation and stomping a hole in the ground. (That hole got him into a whole lot of trouble.) The security camera video showed the fraudster moving some equipment into his work area, then stepping into the hole, lying down and calling for help.

The employer became suspicious after the man submitted a workers’ compensation claim citing multiple injuries. After opening an investigation and reviewing the employers security camera footage, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation determined that the injuries never occurred and the claim was false.

The 58-year-old man pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 180 days in jail. The sentence was suspended and he will only serve one year on probation plus 80 hours of community service. He was lucky he was able to dig himself out of this particular hole. (It would have been a lot harder if he had tried to do it while in prison. Those walls are really thick.) Let’s hope he has learned his lesson and will not fall into any more bad behavior patterns.

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