Twelve plead guilty in major South Carolina tax case
A dozen workers from seven construction-related companies in South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach area have pleaded guilty to tax and immigration charges. The IRS investigation targeted those in the construction industry who used unlicensed check cashers to facilitate under-the-table cash payments to employees, many of whom were illegal aliens. The check cashiers also allegedly provided certificates of insurance falsely stating the employees were covered under workers’ comp insurance. The defendants also defrauded the federal government out of applicable employment taxes on the employees, according to prosecutors. WMBF
Former Maine ironworker sentenced for workers’ compensation fraud
A 63-year-old Scarborough, Maine man has been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland for filing a false document in relation to a workers’ compensation claim. In September 2018, the adjuster handling the claim became suspicious he may have been working while still claiming to be disabled. Authorities say his conduct caused Bath Iron Works to suffer a loss of more than $12,000. CentralMaine
Study: Ambulatory surgery centers contribute to increased workers’ comp payments in Indiana
Workers’ compensation payments are higher in Indiana than most other states, according to the CompScope Medical Benchmarks for Indiana, 22nd Edition and a May 2021 report by the Workers Compensation Research Institute, which stated that facilities, particularly ambulatory surgery centers, contributed to the higher-than-typical payments in Indiana. Becker’s ASC Review
Iowa: Jury awards $2.2M to former clinic employee
A jury has awarded $2.2 million to a former employee of a Sioux City women’s health clinic that terminated her days before her surgery to treat a work-related injury. Jurors found the clinic fired the ultrasound technician in April 2018 because she planned to file a workers’ compensation claim for time missed due to her surgery. Sioux City Journal