Agency secures six convictions in January
A Bellefontaine woman who worked as a receptionist while claiming to be disabled from work owes the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation nearly $19,000 following her conviction last month on a felony workers’ compensation fraud charge.
A Franklin County judge on Jan. 16 ordered Dawn M. Hattery, 50, to reimburse BWC $17,937 and pay $1,000 in investigation costs for working while collecting BWC benefits from January to November 2017. The judge also sentenced her to five years of probation after she pleaded guilty to the fifth-degree felony.
“Ms. Hattery not only broke the law deceiving this agency, she earned a criminal record that will follow her for years to come,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Stephanie McCloud. “Our role is to compensate workers while they’re recovering from injury, not pad the income of people trying to cheat the system.”
In other convictions last month:
- Marc E. Pope, 50, of Cleveland, paid BWC $23,793 in restitution Jan. 30 before his guilty plea on two first-degree misdemeanor counts of workers’ compensation fraud in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. BWC found Pope working multiple jobs while collecting disability benefits from the agency.
- Kenneth Miller, owner of Grant Street Pallet Inc. in Lisbon, Ohio, pleaded no contest Jan. 29 to a second-degree misdemeanor count of failure to comply after entering a reinstatement payment plan with BWC. A judge sentenced Miller to 10 days in jail and fined him $750, then suspended both.
- Larry West, owner of the Bluebird Restaurant in Norwood, paid all past-due installments and premiums on his BWC policy before pleading guilty Jan. 25 to a reduced charge of workers’ compensation fraud, a first-degree misdemeanor. He was sentenced to one day in jail, then credited with time served.
- Douglas J. Krouskoupf of Zanesville pleaded guilty Jan. 9 to a first-degree misdemeanor count of workers’ compensation fraud in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. A judge sentenced Krouskoupf to 180 days in jail, which he suspended on the condition Krouskoupf pay BWC $7,924 in restitution.
- Stephan L. Evans Sr, dba AB Shelby’s Auto Tractor and Trailer Repair in Akron, pleaded guilty Jan. 7 to one count of failure to comply, a second-degree misdemeanor, after BWC found him operating his business without workers’ compensation coverage. An Akron Municipal Court judge sentenced Evans to one year of obeying the law and ordered him to pay $324 in court costs.
To report suspected workers’ compensation fraud, call 1-800-644-6292 or visit bwc.ohio.gov.
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