April 27, 2018 #18-012
Plumber in hot water over
workers’ comp scam gets 45 days in detention
SEATTLE — An Auburn plumber who lied about working while he was
receiving disability payments has been sentenced to serve 45 days in detention.
Bobby Eugene Stepp, 66, claimed he wasn’t working due to an on-the-job injury, while he was
actually running his own plumbing business that took in more than $144,000 during
that time.
King County Superior Court Judge Theresa Doyle ordered the
sentence last week for Stepp, and allowed him to serve the time in electronic
home monitoring. A hearing about repaying
the wrongfully obtained benefits is scheduled for June 8.
Stepp pleaded guilty last month to felony, first-degree
theft in the incident. The Washington Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the
case based on a Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I)
investigation.
Installs
bathtubs
Stepp lost his right leg due to a workplace accident in 2004.
As a result, he received medical benefits and wage-replacement payments off and
on until early 2015.
L&I began investigating in 2015 after a routine
cross-match of Employment Security Department and L&I records showed Stepp
was earning wages.
It turned out that in 2014, he worked first as a plumber for
two companies and then operated his own plumbing business installing bathtubs, charging
papers said. The company earned more than $144,000 from June through December
that year, according to his bookkeeper’s records.
Officially
declares he’s not working
During the same period, he received more than $29,000 in L&I
wage-replacement payments. To qualify for the payments, Stepp signed official
forms stating that he could not work, and was not working, because of his injury.
L&I administers the state workers’ compensation system,
which helps injured employees heal and return to work. The department provides
medical and vocational services, and, in some cases, a portion of injured
workers’ wages if they can’t work due to their workplace injury or can’t do the
same job.
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For media information: Debby Abe, L&I Public Affairs, (debby.abe@Lni.wa.gov), (360) 902-6043
Connect with L&I: Facebook (facebook.com/laborandindustries) and Twitter (twitter.com/lniwa)
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