Jan. 3, 2018 #18-001
Former
restaurant manager in Seattle charged in $90K disability scam
SEATTLE — A man who managed Seattle restaurants for nearly
three years while illegally receiving more than $91,000 in workers’ comp
benefits is facing a felony theft charge.
William T. Crawley, 48, is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday,
Jan. 4, on one count of first-degree theft in King County Superior Court.
The Seattle man is accused of wrongfully receiving more than
$82,000 in wage replacement payments and nearly $9,400 in vocational
rehabilitation benefits from the Washington State Department of Labor &
Industries (L&I).
The Washington Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the
case based on an L&I investigation.
“We want injured workers to heal and get back to work,” said
Elizabeth Smith, assistant director of L&I’s Fraud Prevention & Labor
Standards, “but they must be absolutely honest with us, their doctors and the other
professionals who are helping them recover.
“We actively search for workers’ comp cheaters. When we find
them, we hold them accountable.”
Caught
through state records check
Crawley was working as a bar manager when he slipped while
moving beer into a restaurant cooler, injuring his ankle in 2007. L&I
provided him with a variety of workers’ compensation benefits, including partial
replacement of his wages and training to become a bookkeeper.
While running a routine cross-match of L&I and
Employment Security Department data in 2016, L&I investigators discovered
Crawley had returned to work.
Employer interviews and records revealed that
he worked nearly full time as a manager or assistant manager at a succession of
four Seattle restaurants from June 2013 to March 2016. L&I investigators
found he earned more than $104,000 over that period.
Doesn’t tell
doctor about jobs
At the same time, charging papers said, he misled his doctor
into thinking that he wasn’t working. Based on the misrepresentation, the
doctor approved Crawley to receive wage replacement payments and vocational
rehabilitation benefits while he was working at the restaurants, charging
papers said.
The wage replacement checks included warnings that
recipients must not cash them if they returned to work, and that violators who
lie or misrepresent the facts would be subject to civil and criminal penalties.
During L&I’s investigation, Crawley told the investigator he understood the
warnings.
Report
workers’ comp fraud
L&I administers the state workers’ compensation system,
which provides medical,
vocational and other services to help employees injured on the job heal and
return to work.
Injured workers are sometimes eligible to
receive limited replacement of their wages, if their doctor certifies they
can't work because of the injury. Workers, however, must notify L&I if they
are working.
If you suspect someone is cheating the
workers’ comp system, report it on L&I’s
Fraud Prevention webpage (Lni.wa.gov/Fraud) call 1-888-811-5974.
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For media information: Debby Abe (debby.abe@Lni.wa.gov), L&I Public Affairs, 360-902-6043.
Connect with L&I: Facebook (facebook.com/laborandindustries) and Twitter (twitter.com/lniwa)
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